Nature's Course
by CotS
Summary: Julia struggles to save herself and the people she has grown to love when Alonzo encounters penal colonists.
1. Chapter 1

*Nature's Course* by C.o.t.S.

The ATV all but flew across the flat, dry surface of the old river bed. This was how Alonzo loved to drive it, full throttle and just at the edge of control which required his complete concentration. Over time, the pilot had honed his skill to the point where he felt the machine was just an extension of his mind and body. It offered some of the same freedom he found so exhilarating in flying, thereby filling a void in his life caused by the crash months ago. He gave himself over to the physical sensation of speed, letting go of his angry mood. The wind seemed to clear his head and blow away his troubles for a time. Before long, thoughts of Julia began to creep back into his mind. He let up on the accelerator, knowing he couldn't outrun them any longer.

The fight had been a bad one. He couldn't even remember how it had started but it ended when they noticed they had turned out half the camp. Humiliated, Julia retreated to her tent and he took off in the ATV, pushing aside Walman, who had just finished readying the ATV for a scouting mission.

Alonzo had been with enough women to know that fights were a part of any relationship. Some were even worth the price when the time came to make up, but  
Julia was different from any other woman he had known. Their fights took on a new dimension because their viewpoints were so opposite, compounding the problems they faced. While he was content to take things as they came and let nature take its course, she seemed to be unsettled by her feelings, needing to open up, dissect and study them like some strange bug under her microscope.

To him, their attraction to each other was just another part of the mystery of life. He didn't need to understand it. It was enough that he found her beautiful, stimulating and desirable. It wasn't necessary that they agree on everything. They had each found their edge -- the one thing that made life worthwhile and meaningful for each of them. Julia might have the greater scientific expertise but, one thing he was sure of, she would never find any theory or formula that would ever explain the chemistry between them.

Alonzo thought about the qualities he admired -- her intelligence, her curiosity about life; it so much a part of her nature, she never saw it as a special gift the way he did. But then there was so much she didn't understand about him, and yet, even while his attitude frustrated her, some part of her understood and envied his restless, untamed spirit. So, their love separated and yet joined them like an ocean between two shores. He had no idea how it would all end up, but he was determined to enjoy the ride.

It was always this way with him; his anger was spent as quickly as a summer storm. There would be no sullen mood or pent-up emotion to deal with later. He was ready to turn back and face Danziger's wrath. The mechanic would circle the dusty vehicle and give Alonzo a stern lecture on his supposed abuse of equipment. Alonzo for his part would offer suitable remorse. Soon after, he would find a way to make things right with Julia again.

Distracted, he never noticed the trap that had been set until something sprung up and hit him across the face, knocking him backwards into the roll-bar. The blow to the back of his head stunned him. The sudden deceleration of the vehicle threw him forward and he flew out of the ATV landing heavily on the ground. As he attempted to rise, another blow split his head like a ripe melon, opening a deep gash and knocking him senseless.

Rising from where they hid in the bushes, the two ragged men had quickly descended on their victim. One of them swung a makeshift club, the jarring contact against the pilot's skull ending any chance of resistance. Hesitantly, they each kicked at Alonzo's still form, looking for a response. When he remained still, one of them reached out a tattered boot and rolled the young man onto his back.

"Damn, here I was looking forward to a new set of clothes and he went and tore the pants."

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth, Ben. Be thankful for the gifts we are about to receive." The other man smiled, pulling the Mag-Pro from the back. "This here is a one size fits all. Looks like we got ourselves some food and water, too."

Ben ripped Alonzo's boots off and tried them on. "They're a little big, but I can stuff something inside to make 'em fit." He looked up to see his friend aiming the rifle toward him. He froze, suddenly afraid, until the other man laughed and dropped his aim to the pilot.

"Now, don't go blowing holes in him till I get his clothes off. What good are new duds if they're all bloody and tore up. It's bad enough the knee is gone." Ben began to remove Alonzo's clothes. "Do you think he's Council, Hal?"

"Well, he ain't one of us, so what else could he be? All I know is he won't be anything much longer. Hurry up with him so we can get rid of the body."

Hal rifled through the supplies in the ATV as Ben scratched at the vermin that were disturbed as he shed his rags. Alonzo's clothes hung on him. His long haired, wild man looks did nothing to enhance the picture as he presented himself to his friend. "What do you think?"

"Very nice."

"I noticed he's still alive. He must have a real hard head. Feel free to pop him anytime you want, there's nothing left worth taking." Ben laughed as he looked down at Alonzo's nude body while he brushed the dust off his new shirt.

"Nah, shooting him might draw attention. I have something special in mind for our Council friend. This way we get rid of the body and extract a little revenge for our unjust sentence to this hell hole. It's time we had some fun and show our new citizen how special this planet is." Off Ben's look he motioned toward a barren tree which stood alone on an equally barren hillside.

Ben followed his gaze and swallowed. What his friend had in mind was the worst kind of death imaginable. He had only seen something die once that way and he had never slept peacefully since.

Hal pulled some rope from the ATV. "Well, what are you waiting for? Give me a hand dragging him over there. I don't want to risk the vehicle."

Ben began sweating heavily with fear. "Hal, I can't stay and watch this. You know how it gave me nightmares before."

"Well, we don't have to stay till the end. Just enough to make sure he's done for. Relax. He's just getting what he deserves."

Both men were scrawny, having lived constantly at the edge of starvation. Neither had the strength to carry Alonzo's heavily muscled body so they each grabbed an arm and began dragging him. His head rolled forward, barely clearing the ground. A swarm of insects flew around the open wound at the back of his head. Blood matted his dark hair into thick spikes.

With a series of jerks, they pulled the pilot across the rough ground. Alonzo drifted in and out of consciousness. Through a haze of pain, he became aware of a fresh assault on his body. Numerous rocks and stones, many with sharp edges, littered the ground. As he passed over them, they shredded his unprotected skin. An attempt to open his eyes was met with a wave of dizziness. His vision was limited to the dirt beneath him which began to spin before dissolving into darkness.

Grunting and wheezing, the men crested the hill, dropping their burden at the base of the tree. Their hearts hammered equally with exhaustion and fear as they scanned the ground around them.

Ben gripped his friend's arm. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"No, I want to tie him to it, a warning for anyone that comes looking for him."

"Are you crazy? What if it comes out."

"It'll only take a second if you hold him for me. I'm just going to tie his arms to keep him upright."

Knowing argument was a waste of time when he was anxious to get away, Ben held Alonzo back against the tree while his partner extended and tied the pilot's arms and wrists to the thick limbs. When Hal was finished, Ben let go. The ropes held the pilot upright, cutting deeply into his arms as they stretched out on either side of his body. His muscles began to take on sharp definition under the strain of his weight.

In a hollowed area of the tree by Alonzo's leg, Ben caught his first glimpse of movement. He tried to warn Hal but his mouth was suddenly dry. All that came out was a squeak. Turning, he raced back down the hill. Hal stepped back, alerted by Ben's behavior. He figured he still had time. The pilot's head hung down against his chest. Grabbing a hand full of hair, Hal yanked Alonzo's head backward and slapped his face.

"Come on, wake up, Citizen."

Alonzo's head pounded with the sudden movement. This time he would welcome the darkness that took away his pain. The convict grew angry when he got no response. He leaned forward, pinning Alonzo's legs with his own so the pilot couldn't twist away. Then he reached down.

Alonzo groaned as callused hands closed over a sensitive part of his anatomy. With a vice-like grip, they tightened with intensifying pressure until the pain became unbearable. He screamed in agony.

The other man laughed and released him. The rancid smell of decay accompanied his voice. "I thought that would get your attention. You don't want to miss your own death now, do you?"

Hal felt something brush his leg and he jumped backward, avoiding the appendage that reached for him. He backed away until he felt he stood at a safe distance. Pulling out the packet of spirulina he found in the ATV, he unwrapped and balled the paper, dropping it on the ground. He shoved the bar in his mouth and chewed greedily, his attention riveted by the unfolding scene before him.

Alonzo strained and twisted against the ropes that bound him. He tried to curl forward, attempting to relieve the agonizing spasms that racked his lower body. He was so blinded by pain, he failed to notice what waved in front of him.

Hal grew impatient and searched the ground for something to speed things up. He picked the longest stick he could find. Stretching forward, he poked the thick tentacle. It reared, arching like a cobra . The motion caused it to brush against Alonzo's thigh. Reacting to the touch, it suddenly pivoted and began to wrap itself around his leg. The pilot's eyes opened to a new horror, one he had never seen before. Hal's laughter mocked him as his struggles took on a fresh urgency.

The convict's eyes widened at the sheer mass of living material that began to sprout from the cracks and crevasses that pocked the ancient bark. Different sizes and shapes of corded tissue snaked along the tree's surface looking for prey. They immediately claimed any portion of Alonzo's body they happened on, wrapping him securely. Then, more of their members crossed over the old as they inched forward, coiling, spiraling and tightening as they traced his figure.

In one last effort to escape, Alonzo threw all the strength he could summon to break free. Muscles taut, the veins in his neck and arms protruded under the strain until spots danced before his eyes. He cried out in frustration as the living bonds not only held but grew tighter as he eventually weakened. Finally, he slumped in exhaustion. There was nothing more he could do. Having covered his legs, the squirming mass came at him from all directions, circling his hips, reaching toward his heaving chest, dropping from above onto his hair.

Alonzo looked desperately to where Hal stood grinning. "Why?"

"Why, what?"

"I can understand you robbing me, but why this? Why not take everything and leave? What do you hope to gain by torturing me?"

"Maybe all I want are some answers. It's not too late. I can still cut you free. Interested?"

"What do you want to know?" Alonzo leaned back, trying to avoid a feeler that reached toward his face.

"Just how many are in your party? What do they want? Who are they looking for?"

Fear for the others crossed Alonzo's mind. "What makes you think I'm not alone?"

"Come on now. I can tell you're new to the planet. Never seen any of these beauties before have you? Nothing like this back at the stations." Hal poked his stick into a living shroud that was covering the pilot's body. "You don't expect me to believe the Council spent all that money to send you here alone, do you? Hell, as easy as we caught you, you wouldn't have lasted a day by yourself."

Understanding flickered across Alonzo's face. "Is that what this is all about? You think I'm from the Council?"

"There's only two types of humans on this planet and the Council don't give prisoners vehicles and guns."

"You're wrong. I'm not from the Council. I'm just a pilot."

Hal laughed. "Yea, and I'm just a poor misplaced Faith Minister. Last chance, Mr. Pilot, where's the rest of your group? In case you haven't noticed, you're about to be wrapped up like a present."

In answer to Alonzo's silence, Hal pushed a wandering vine onto Alonzo's neck. The pilot stiffened as it coiled around his neck.

"Guess this thing thinks it died and went to heaven. Usually anything big, like a man or a Grendler, can pull free. The only way it could hope to catch something your size is if you fell asleep close by. You see, it sends out these here feelers to search for food. Once they find something, they wrap it up, all nice and snug. Any movement makes it think you might be trying to get away, so it keeps tightening up. That goes for breathing too, but I guess you've noticed that by now."

The tentacle around the pilot's neck spun slowly. Panic began to build in his eyes as its leading edge worked its way across his face.

"Guess you're about done saying anything more. The way I see it you got two choices. Move and die fast or stay as still as a mouse and die slow. Either way, you lose. I'll be moving on. Now that I can't see the expression on your face, it ain't fun anymore."

He poked the heaving coils, hoping to get at what lay under them one last time. "Can you still hear me in there? There's something I forgot to tell you but I'll just have to save it as a surprise."

Hal turned and jogged down the hill. Below him, Ben sat in the ATV. He had done everything to avoid looking in his partner's direction. He familiarized himself with the controls on the ATV, taking short practice runs. With little appetite, he stuffed the food packets into his pocket for future use, then picked through the remaining supplies in the rear of the vehicle. The headgear caught his eye and he pulled it out. He wondered how much longer it was going to take as he climbed into the seat and propped his feet up.

He became lost in thought. The nightmares would come back again, of that he was sure. Everything, had been spoiled, all because he hadn't hit the guy hard enough to kill him. Why had they picked this spot for the ambush anyway? Had Hal known about the damn plant ahead of time? Was Hal trying to ruin the fact that he had won their gamble fair and square? First one to the driver got his clothes. Now his nice new outfit would carry a tainted memory. As he twirled the gear around his finger, he unknowingly flicked the gear's communication switch.

ooo

Back at camp, Julia tried to fill her mind with work. As they traveled across the planet, she had attempted to keep a record of G889's plant, animal and insect life. Most of what she observed had no earthly comparison and she found the task overwhelming. Realizing it would take thousands of scientists to do the job, she began concentrating on only those which might offer the most benefit to mankind.

The doctor sat back from the samples in front of her and sighed. It all seemed so absurd. To any scientist, the opportunity to be the first to discover a new species was a dream only a few would realize, yet here she was, in a position any of her colleagues would have died for and all she could think about was a stupid fight with her fly-boy lover. What happened to all those important reasons for being here? When did her heart begin to rule her head?

As she stared into space, Walman poked his head in her tent. "Julia, do you know when Alonzo will be back?"

Just what she needed!

"Diagnostic equipment is amazing, but unfortunately it can't read minds," she said sarcastically.

"Huh?"

"Walman, why would I know the answer to that any more than you would?"

He was taken aback by the angry tone of her voice and he began to shuffle nervously. "I'm *supposed* to be out on a scouting mission," he shot back in an equal tone.

"Well? What has that to do with me?"

"All my stuff is packed on the ATV. My gear, the Mag-Pro, my jacket..."

"Wait!" She took a deep breath, forcing herself to speak calmly. "You came to me for an opinion. You want to know when Alonzo will be back. Is that right?'

"Yea....yea, that's what I want to know."

"If you want to know the answer to that, here's my opinion." She lowered her voice as if passing a secret. "Call him and ask him."

Walman flushed. "I did! He won't answer. He probably doesn't want to talk to anyone after that fight you two had."

This time Julia's face grew red. "And what makes you think I do!?!"

"You know, Julia, the closer we get to New Pacifica, the happier everyone gets." Walman angrily pointed his finger at her. "All but you. You just keep getting more miserable."

He walked out, leaving her in stunned silence. It was true. Each day they drew closer, she grew more anxious about Alonzo's decision on whether he would stay or leave. She couldn't bear to think of a future without him, growing old alone while he began a new journey and remained forever young. Would she only be one of the many women he left behind?

She knew her insecurity was undermining their relationship. Instead of taking advantage of each day they had left, she found herself testing him, examining every remark and gesture for a hidden meaning, trying to find the answer he wouldn't give her. In the end, all she wound up doing was driving him away.

Julia put on her communication gear. "Alonzo? I need to talk to you. Please answer me."

ooo

Alonzo was suffocating. The convict's last words were lost as a thick tentacle passed over his ears and closed his eyes and nose. Sealed within a slithering tomb, all the fear he had managed to beat down rose in a soundless scream. Something within him snapped and he was consumed with a rage to live.

Hal's last deliberate jab with the stick wedged open a small crack in the coiled mass. The small break allowed a small passage of current to reach him. The pilot was unaware that the convict had deliberately saved him. He only knew the agony of labored sips of air which meant the difference between his life and death.

ooo

Julia approached the Dune Rail that Danziger was working on. She saw Walman stop speaking and look away guiltily.

The mechanic straightened and tapped the wrench in his hand. He caught the firm resolution in her eyes. "Something I can do for you, Julia?"

"Yes, I need to borrow the DuneRail."

The mechanic glanced at Walman before continuing on with Julia, "This wouldn't have anything to do with Alonzo, would it?"

Her eyes challenged his. He found himself thinking that, right now, they held all the warmth and color of glacial ice.

"And if it does?"

"If it does, we're going to have to have a little talk. These vehicles are our only means of transportation. Their use is limited for the sole purpose of getting us to our destination. They are not to be used as an escape from the times we happen to get on each others' nerves."

The wall around her suddenly cracked and her demeanor changed to one of desperation. "John, I'm afraid something's happened to him. I've been trying to raise him on gear and he won't answer. No matter how mad he gets, he never ignores me, especially if he knows I'm worried about him."

"How long has he been gone?"

Julia looked to Walman for confirmation. "About an hour?"

Walman supported her concern. "He did say he'd only be a few minutes."

The gear on Julia's belt beeped a signal. Her relief was short-lived as she flipped on the audio. They stared at the set in her hand as they caught the mid-sentence of a strange male voice.

"..took you so long."

Another answered from a distance. "I just wanted to be sure he wouldn't get away. I got a big kick out of seeing him squirm at the end. Get this: he claimed he was just a pilot."

"Let's get out of here, Hal. Someone's liable to come looking for him."

The other man laughed. "Let 'em. They'll be real surprised at what's left of him. About now..."

The broadcast broke off.

"Oh my God." Julia looked helplessly at Danziger and Walman.

"I had Morgan monitoring all frequencies, maybe he'll be able to come up with a fix on a location," Walman told them.

Danziger slapped him on the back. "Find out. I'll get the weapons and meet you."

"I need to get my medical kit."

Danziger nodded. It didn't sound good for Alonzo.

ooo

--end part 1--


	2. Chapter 2

Unaware that their conversation had been overheard, Hal continued talking. The gear had slipped in Ben's hand, cutting the transmission.

"About now, he's wrapped tight as a drum. I made sure it didn't kill him yet. I poked a hole and heard him trying to suck air. It should be enough to keep him alive till the good part begins."

Ben jumped out of the ATV. "I don't want to hear about it, okay?! I just want to get out of here!"

"In a few minutes. Meanwhile, clean up the mess you made. Pack up your old clothes and get rid of these food wrappers. I want to check on our boy one last time - make sure things are right on schedule - then I'll be content to let nature take its course."

Alonzo lay completely still in the monster grasp, his body lashed tightly against a solid surface by thick bands of corded tissue. The tiny puffs of air, which barely left him conscious, caused no noticeable rise in his chest. Minutes passed as he hung motionless. Slowly, he became aware of a changing sensation.

The hard texture of the coiled tissue began to soften. It molded itself against him, following the contours of his body. He felt a warm liquid wash over his skin. The mass that covered him began to convulse, whole sections grinding in opposing directions, kneading his flesh like soft dough. The rubbing of the surface of one body against another caused a burning friction. Hal had saved him for the real hell that was about to begin.

ooo

Julia sat forward, holding on for dear life as Danziger pushed the DuneRail to its limit. The minutes seemed like hours as she searched the horizon impatiently for some glimpse of the ATV. Her gear was set on an open line to Morgan, who monitored their progress. "Morgan, how much further?"

The slowness of his answer annoyed her.

"According to my best estimate......you should be on the last signal's coordinates right......NOW!"

"STOP!!"

She reached out, grabbing Danziger's arm. He braked hard, throwing them all forward. In a flash she was out, running in circles, looking for some sign. Danziger stood up in the vehicle but could see nothing. Walman jumped out the back and began to check for tracks in the dirt.

"Morgan, are you sure? There's nothing here," she questioned as her eyes took in the surroundings.

The flat, dry river bed stretched before them. A vine-encrusted tree sat on the hillside. Other than that, there was nothing.

"I'm sure. Maybe they moved. Without a signal, I can't say where they are."

Danziger was listening. "I say we keep going. We might be able to catch them. It hasn't been that long."

Walman hurried back. "Something was here. There are tracks that go off in that direction."

Walman climbed into the back. Danziger looked to the doctor as she continued to scan the landscape.

"Julia?" When she didn't answer him, he added, "There nothing here. Let's go."

Reluctantly she gave in and climbed in the front seat. Danziger floored it and the vehicle took off, gravel crunching under the spinning wheels.

Within a few minutes, they caught sight of a cloud of dust ahead of them. The riverbed bent and twisted in a zigzag course.

"Morgan, we have them in sight. Do you still have our signal? Good! Look on you map. Cameron scouted this area yesterday. Is there a way we can intercept them without coming up from the rear?" Danziger listened to Morgan's instructions. "Hold on everybody" He cut the wheel sharply, taking a left fork.

Their path took them off on a straight line as the river bed meandered to the right before bending back toward them. As they raced along, a small rise to their right cut off their view but it also hid the dusty cloud the DuneRail churned up. Danziger couldn't imagine how the ATV could hold three, but in case Alonzo was with them, he was hoping that a surprise appearance would throw the other men off guard.

"Walman, get ready. Julia, you keep down," he warned them as he saw the  
hillside dip.

The fork closed back into the main trail and Danziger saw the ATV merge in, running slightly ahead of them. One man drove as the other perched on the rear. There was no sign of the pilot.

As the Rail surged forward, gaining, the man on the back turned and spotted them. He bent toward the driver and the ATV jumped forward. Danziger concentrated as he brought the faster Rail alongside. The man in the rear pivoted and Danziger saw a Mag-Pro point in their direction. He swung the wheel hard right, slamming the Rail into the ATV before cutting back hard to the left. A shot rang out and the Rail's canopy disintegrated above them. He heard Walman's answering shot and spared a quick glance back. He saw both the Mag-Pro and its shooter fly backward.

"John, look out!"

Julia's warning took his eyes back to the road just in time to see that it dropped suddenly into a deep gully. He braked and swung the wheel. The vehicle skidded sideways, sliding on stones, before stopping at the edge of the drop-off.

The other driver was not as lucky. His hard turn flipped the vehicle. He was thrown out and the car rolled over him before righting itself. They were on the ground and running in seconds.

Julia reached the driver before Danziger. Slipping on her diaglove, she checked him, then looked up at the mechanic. "He's dead. He must have broken his neck when he hit the ground."

The mechanic saw the pain in her eyes as she reached out and touched Alonzo's jacket.

Walman shouted to them from behind. Taking an aggressive stance he aimed his rifle toward the ground. They hurried back to meet him. The ATV's other passenger lay at his feet clutching his bleeding chest.

"Careful." Danziger warned Julia as she bent over him and took a reading.

"Your injury is serious, but I'm a doctor. I can help you, but first I want to know what you've done to Alonzo. Where is he?"

"Never heard of him."

Danziger reached down and hauled him up by the collar. "Let me refresh your memory."

Sweat broke out on the injured man's forehead as the movement brought a stream of blood from his mouth. He coughed and bright bubbles mixed with the blood. "Okay, but what's in it for me if I tell you?"

Julia cut Danziger off. "What do you want?"

"Just let me go. I didn't do anything. It was Ben that hit your friend. He wanted his clothes. I was just along for the ride."

"Tell us where you left him and you can go on your way."

Danziger protested. "Are you crazy? He'll lie, he'll tell you anything to get free."

"No… I promise. I know better than to cross you. You're from the Council, aren't you?"

Her ice blue eyes were cold as frost. The look scared him.

"Okay, I guess I'll have to trust you. Ben tied him to a tree about a mile back. It sits on a hillside -- nothing else around. You can't miss it."

"You're lying. We were just there. Our transmitter on the ATV did show that you stopped there, but there was no sign of him. We searched."

Hal thought how close they came to knowing the truth. If they had discovered it, he wouldn't have stood a chance. Maybe he could plead ignorance about what the tree held.

"We hid him good -- covered him with the vines so you can't see him from the road. He was fine when we left."

He saw the sudden hope in her eyes. "There, I kept my end. You can find your friend now. Have pity on me and let me go. I never hurt anyone."

Julia stood up and turned to the others. "I just want to find Alonzo."

"Fine, we go back and look but we take this scumball with us. If he's lying, I get my chance to make him talk."

Julia walked close beside Danziger and whispered to him. "You won't get the chance. He's not going to make it."

John looked past her and saw their prisoner cough up fresh blood. "I'll take it anyway." He walked over and yanked the man up and pushed him toward the ATV. "You're going with us, pal, and, if you're lying, you'd better hope you die along the way. Walman, get in the back. If he moves funny, blow his head off. Julia?"

Julia headed back toward the dead man. She called back over her shoulder, "I'll bring the ATV "

Before she climbed into the cab, she reached down and slipped the pilot's jacket from Ben. They waited until she took off in front of them after commanding it to retrace its course.

ooo

Julia pushed the tiny car as fast as it would go, praying that the convict had told the truth. His accusation that she was from the Council bothered her. Despite his conciliatory manner toward her, she saw the hate in his eyes. What if he thought Alonzo was from the Council, too?

The little vehicle pulled to halt. She didn't wait for the others, but took off up the hill as fast as she could run. A small family of kobas scattered before her, dropping something behind that glistened in the sun. She saw it was crumbled spirulina wrapper. She came upon the tree at a dead run.

The vines held the form of a man.

Julia screamed back at Danziger and Walman. "I found him."

She tore at the vines but they were as tight as steel bands. All that came away in her hands was a sticky residue. She searched in panic for a way in as the men came up beside her.

"Help me!! I can't move them."

Danziger pulled out his knife and tried to cut them away. Something squirted onto his hand, burning him. He yelled in pain and dropped the knife, gripping his blistered fingers.

Julia's own hands began to burn and she pulled her glove from the first-aid kit and scanned them. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"What is it?" Danziger asked.

Julia looked at him in dismay. "Hydrochloric acid. Digestive enzymes." She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling.

"Julia?"

"It's carnivorous. It's trying to digest him."

"What?" Walman looked about to throw up.

Julia tried different settings on her glove, attempting to burn, stun or cut through the coarse fiber. She made no progress and was splashed with acid for her trouble. Tears burned her eyes, but she blinked them away in desperation. "I don't know what to do!!"

"This isn't working. What if we get the vehicles and pull it out by the roots?" Walman suggested.

"No, it won't make a difference. The roots just anchor it. It gets its nourishment from what it catches."

"Julia, there's nothing we can do?" Danziger asked her.

Her hand flew to her forehead as she groped for an answer. When she didn't respond, he added, "Maybe, we're too late."

"No!!" She tapped her finger hard against her diaglove, frustrated by tears, a breaking voice and the inability to come up with a solution. "I'm getting a reading. He's alive."

The men looked at each other and a wordless agreement passed between them. Danziger raised his Mag-Pro, pushing the setting on maximum.

Julia's eyes flew wide and she threw herself on him. "No. What do you think you're doing? If you blow it apart, you'll kill him, too."

Walman closed his arms around her from behind and pulled her away. "Julia, it's the most humane thing to do. We can't let him suffer."

She struggled against him sobbing. "No, John! Please give me time. I'll find a way."

Danziger ignored her and aimed the gun toward the form's head. Tears blurred his vision as his finger touched the trigger.

"Wait!! I might have a way. John, please just give me one more chance."

He swallowed. "I'm sorry, Julia. I can't even begin to imagine what he's suffering. I can't let it go on."

"John, listen to me. There were kobas here when I came up. They were picking through the crumbs of a food packet. They're slow creatures but they weren't afraid of being caught by it. Don't you see? Their claws are their defense. The poison must offer them protection "

He glanced at her over the barrel. "Go on?"

"The venom is highly toxic. You saw how quickly it brought down O'Neill and Morgan. If I have enough of their venom, I'm sure I could bring it down, too."

"Just how are we going to get it?"

"They hid by the rocks over there. They're not big. You and Walman can move them."

"You didn't answer my question. How do we get the claws?"

"Well, I thought one of you would volunteer to make them angry enough to… ahh..."

Danziger lowered the rifle. "I was afraid you were going to suggest that. Got a coin, Walman?"

ooo  
--end Part 2--


	3. Chapter 3

Walman pocketed his coin and glanced sideways at Julia. They were both watching Danziger as he cautiously approached the Koba's den.

"I guess you could say this has been my lucky day." When she didn't answer him, he continued, "I keep thinking, if Alonzo hadn't taken the ATV, it could have been me they fed to that thing." He saw her jaw tighten. "No one would have even missed me until I didn't report in. That wouldn't have been till tomorrow. By then....man, I don't even want to think about it."

"Then, I suggest you keep thinking about how fortunate you've been. I'm sure it will make you feel better if Danziger doesn't come back with enough venom and you have to go for the rest."

Walman grew suddenly quiet and began watching the mechanic's progress with renewed interest.

ooo

Danziger glanced under the rock and saw two large eyes looking back at him. "I guess you wouldn't want to shake hands and let me rip your nails off, would you?"

The rodent hissed at him.

"I didn't think so."

He took a stick and poked at it, backing it deeper into the hole. "Come on, I don't want to hurt you and I'm sure you don't want to hurt me. Just sink a couple of those claws into this piece of wood and we'll call it a day."

He jumped as he was stabbed by a burning pain in his rear. His hand whipped around, landing on a claw that stuck in his thigh. Glancing back, he saw a koba watching him. It must have come out another exit to attack him from behind.

"Of all the dirty tricks..." he began. His vision began to swim as he staggered forward, reaching for it.

It flicked another dart, hitting him in the arm before it scurried off. He felt the sting and the last thing he remembered was the ground rushing up to meet him.

Julia saw Danziger stagger and fall. She grabbed Walman's arm, pulling him with her as she rushed toward the mechanic.

"I knew he could do it, Julia. Look, he got two. That's enough isn't it?"

"I don't know. Stay with him while I try it out. If you can, keep the kobas in sight but don't get stung. I'll need your help to get him and Alonzo into the Rail."

"Julia, be careful around that thing." Walman warned. "It might feel like dessert."

ooo

Julia studied the claws carefully as she approached the writhing mass. The tip was barbed at the end, the venom stored in the hollow body of the nail. Once the nail was lodged, any attempt to remove it opened a passage between the two, allowing the poison to flow freely.

She decided to begin her attack where Danziger's knife had created a small tear. Amber fluid dribbled from the rent. She jabbed the claw into the wound then pulled back, the barb hooked into the tissue, sticking until a stronger tug tore it free. The reaction she hoped for was instantaneous. The tentacle shook violently, spasms traveling down its winding coils. Within seconds, the member lost its hold and dropped limply to the ground. She tried again, this time on a spot where the surface was solid. The point bit into the tough outer layer. This time the reaction was slower, but the outcome was the same.

"Walman, it's working. Put Danziger in the Rail and get over here. Bring all the water you can carry."

ooo

Walman stood silently at Julia's side, following her orders while she worked to free the pilot. She noticed a stick had been wedged into the bands at one point. A closer examination led the doctor to the reason Alonzo was still alive. She reasoned that the small air passage created by the break must run close to his nose or mouth. With a point of reference, she set her sight on widening the passage. As Julia worked, Walman was hard pressed to keep them both free from the feelers and tentacles which reached for them. Julia entrusted her safety to him, completely ignoring the plant's hostile intent as she unwrapped the stunned upper layer.

Gradually, the toxin began to still whole sections of the organism. Walman jumped as a portion came loose and fell to dangle beside him. Looking up, he saw Julia had freed the pilot's head and was holding it in her hands. Walman almost gagged. Alonzo's face was red and swollen, the surface caked with blood and mucus the consistency of Grendler drool.

"Oh my God, Julia," the crewman groaned, turning his face away.

"It's all right," she tried to reassure him. "I just tested the pH level. The reading is much higher than I expected. It must use a more concentrated level for defensive purposes. That was what we were exposed to. Alonzo? Can you hear me?"

The pilot's head rolled loosely in her hands.

"Alonzo, it's Julia. We're freeing you as fast as we can. Please, don't give up. I promise, you're going to be all right."

After aspirating his nose and mouth, Julia soaked Alonzo's head with water, concentrating on his eyes. The corners and lashes were heavily encrusted. Her fingers dug out the slime which had worked its way into his ears, nose and mouth, wiping her hands against her pants to remove the discharge. Walman fed her their supply of water but kept his face averted the whole time.

"He's struggling to breathe. It's still exerting too much pressure on his chest. We have to get the rest of it off him now."

Julia lowered the pilot's head gently, hearing the rumbling wheeze of each labored breath.

Together, they tore into the twisted mass with a renewed fury. They were splattered and burnt with acid but Julia worked with a total disregard for herself. As for Walman, he was not about to let her show him up. Only when she stopped, did he also step back to survey the area they had opened down the center of the mass. There seemed to be some relief of the pressure against the pilot's chest as his breathing eased. As his head pitched forward, he groaned weakly.

Julia took a deep breath and pushed her way through the tangled vines that still enclosed him.

Like a faithful hound, Walman followed her lead and peered in. "What are you  
doing?"

Her open palm reached out from the cavity she had all but disappeared into. "I think I can free him, but I need your knife. His arms are tied."

"I'll do it. You hold on to him."

Walman reached over her. His skin crawled as he reached into the mess, but he felt his way to the ropes that bound the pilot and cut him free. Alonzo slumped into Julia's arms. His weight caught her off guard and she fell back into Walman. The crewman staggered under the impact but managed to support them both until they could lower the pilot to the ground.

Julia dropped to her knees and began a quick examination. Beginning with Alonzo's head, her fingers picked through his blood-soaked hair until she found the gaping wound in his scalp. Then, she worked her way down his body, rattling off her diagnosis as she probed and analyzed his injuries. Walman hoped she was talking to herself out of habit and not to him since he didn't understand most of what she said.

Alonzo looked in bad shape. In one way, he reminded Walman of the way a baby looks just after birth: blotched, mucus-covered and blood-spattered right down to the cords still attached to his abdomen. These tentacles maintained their hold despite the fact that they had been torn loose from the main grouping when Alonzo fell.

Walman removed one with effort and saw the pink, fleshy, underside fold into itself. "Julia, what's it doing?"

She looked up, glancing at it for a second. "My guess is, that it's retracting its stomach."

Walman swallowed back bile. "This keeps getting worse and worse. No wonder that kid with the Elder's group said the surface wasn't safe to live on. I wonder how many times we came close to camping next to one of these things?"

"Right now, I'm more concerned with damage it's already done. I need more water to neutralize the acid on his body."

He handed her a jug and warned, "This is all that's left."

"Are you sure? You checked both vehicles? Walman, this doesn't even come close to ..." Sitting back on her heels, she wiped her hands on her pants then donned her gear. "Morgan, I need to know the closest source of water." She listened to his directions. "That's it. Are you sure? All right. I'll contact you later when we head back." She signed off and told Walman, "Morgan says there is a creek about 3 miles from here. I need to rinse Alonzo's body as soon as possible."

"Let's get going then. I'll carry him."

Julia leaned close to the pilot. "Alonzo, can you hear me? We have to move you."

His hand, rigid with pain, groped for hers. Through swollen, blistered lips he tried to speak. She bent as close as possible to listen. Barely a whisper, his words shook her composure.

Walman only caught a glimpse of her reaction before the professional mask slipped into place. It was this plastic face that turned to him.

"I'm going to sedate him as much as I dare. Can you carry him?" At Walman's nod, she bent and pressed the sedi-derm against Alonzo's neck.

The big blond grunted as he lifted his injured friend and headed toward the Rail. Julia followed anxiously at his side, constantly checking her patient.

"The creek is in a direction that will take us from camp. I'll drive the Rail, I want to be close to Alonzo." she told him as they approached the Rail. She stopped, staring. "Where's...?"

"We released him."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed.

"It was him. He was the one who was bragging about what he did to Alonzo."

"I know. I recognized his voice from the transmission we overheard," she said sadly.

"You noticed that too, huh? Well, we replayed it for him, so he knew we knew he was lying. He got real arrogant right before he died."

"He died?"

"Yea, kind of sudden like. Danziger said you didn't expect him to make it."

"Yes, that's right. I did tell him that."

"He wanted us to let him go, so we did."

Julia understood now why Danziger had let the slower ATV go first.

Walman lowered the pilot into the back seat of the DuneRail. He began to strap him in when Alonzo began to thrash wildly, hitting the other man with his arms. The pilot screamed in agony as he did more damage to himself than to the stunned crewmen.

"What's wrong with him? I swear I didn't hurt him."

"It's okay, Walman." On a hunch, she intervened, taking a few blows before she managed to remove the restraints. Released from the bonds, the pilot calmed.

"You drive. I'll stay back here with him."

The Rail took off with Walman driving, Danziger strapped to the front seat, and Julia with Alonzo in the back. The doctor talked softly to the pilot, stroking his hair. She was thankful that he didn't dream, this way the nightmares would only haunt his days.

The drive was arduous, the Rail bouncing and swaying over the rough terrain as Walman had picked the 'shortest distance between two points' route. Julia divided her time between patients. When Alonzo quieted, she checked on Danziger. While his vital signs were nonexistent, Julia knew from experience that this meant nothing. Broderick O'Neill and Morgan Martin had shown similar readings, but they both had recovered. Neither had been stung twice, however, and she knew her conscience would not rest easy until Danziger recovered with no ill effects.

Alonzo's moans sent her back to the pilot's side as they were jolted about. She scanned him for what seemed the hundredth time. The diaglove flashed its factual diagnosis of shock, loss of plasma due to damaged blood vessels, and a possible hair-line skull fracture but she looked past the scrolling data to the more graphic evidence of his condition. Equipment couldn't measure the pain he was experiencing or the mental damage caused by such an ordeal.

The Rail skidded to a stop before a brook of clear running water. Walman jumped out. Following Julia's instructions, he gathered the pilot from the back seat and carried him into the water. For want of a better method, he just sat down with the pilot draped across his lap in the knee-deep current. Julia knelt beside them and began to rinse the sticky residue from the pilot's body. He watched the doctor work, so totally absorbed that everything around her, except for Alonzo, had ceased to exist.

The water stung the burns on Walman hands so he wasn't surprised when the pilot began to resist when the water closed over him. Slippery as a fish, he groaned and twisted away as Julia began to flush his injuries. Walman watched with growing interest as she worked on Alonzo's body using a dexterity that required a delicate mixture of strength and gentleness.

Where their bodies blocked the flow of current, a film soon developed on the water's surface. It spread, catching the sun in a burst of rainbow colors as the oils and digestive fluids broke loose and floated away.

Walman found his attention divided between what Julia was doing and the growing transparency of her clothing. As the material absorbed water, it began to cling seductively to the mounds and curves of her figure. Feeling like a voyeur, he began to squirm under the pilot's weight.

"Are you stiff?"

"Wha..What?" He colored, thinking somehow she had read his thoughts.

"Are you uncomfortable from sitting so long in that position?"

"A little. How much longer?"

"Not too much. I want to dry and bandage him before we head back. I'm counting on you to get us to camp in record time."

Silently, the doctor worried about the trade off she was making. While the water neutralized the acid, it robbed Alonzo's body of heat. Weeping blisters took fluid that needed to be replaced. Hypothermia and shock were real possibilities if she wasn't careful.

Aside from first and second degree burns, Alonzo had a serious head wound plus numerous cuts and abrasions on the front of his body. Julia figured they must have struck him down with a blow to the head. After he was stripped, they dragged him, imbedding dirt into his tattered flesh. Infection was sure to set in. Mentally, the doctor began to prepare herself for a battle that would be waged on many fronts.

"Alonzo?" Julia cupped the pilot's face in her hands and he began to hyperventilate.

He was suffocating. The pressure squeezing the life from him. Tentacles wrapped his face as his body burned in liquid fire. He gasped for air, struggling, as he felt the monster grasp tighten.

"Hold him!"

The pilot's arm shot out and broke Walman's nose along with his hold. Alonzo rolled free and struggled to stand in the current. Julia was there to catch him and cushion his fall, only to be pinned underwater when he came down on top of her.

The water was too shallow to soften the impact and the full brunt of his weight drove the air from her lungs as she hit bottom. Gasping, she inhaled and began to choke. Darkness crowded Julia's blurred vision of the surface, with its life-giving air just a foot or so away.

In a desperate bid to free herself, the doctor struggled under the pilot, pushing against his chest with her arms. There was no gentleness in the hands that wrapped around her throat. Lack of oxygen robbed her of strength as her hands fluttered weakly against the thick veined muscle.

Just as the darkness closed in, the pressure disappeared. Someone reached down to pull her upright. Julia's streaming face broke the surface. She choked, fighting for air, spasms racked her throat, purging the fluid she inhaled.

When she regained her senses, the young woman wiped away her tear-clouded vision for a better focus of her rescuer. Walman's bloody face looked back with concern and she felt him release his grip on her. His other arm encircled Alonzo. The pilot lay slumped against him in an upright position.

"U 'kay?" her crewman asked, sounding rather nasal.

"I think so." The doctor felt her bruised throat. "How about you?" Julia had noticed the damage to the big blonde's face. Not only was it bleeding, but there was considerable swelling under both eyes. He covered his nose with his hand self-consciously.

"Let me see."

He removed his hand grudgingly. "Es et boke?"

"I'm afraid so. You'll have two black eyes to go with it soon."

"Sht."

"Alonzo? You didn't hit him did you?"

"Noh, 'e judst 'ell ovher. "

"He collapsed? He didn't mean to hurt us, it was just a reaction. He must have thought we were the enemy."

Walman pulled the pilot closer so Julia could examine him.

She spoke softly. "Alonzo, can you hear me?" She noticed his eyes were clenched tightly shut. "Can you open your eyes?" Her finger gently prodded his closed lid.

"Hmmm," he groaned and jerked away from her touch.

She glanced at Walman and saw he looked apprehensive, afraid to tighten his grip and set Alonzo off again. "Okay, okay, easy now. I won't force you. We're not trying to hurt you but your injuries are extensive. We're doing the best we can under the circumstances."

Walman felt tremors of pain shake the other man's body as the pilot reached a burnt, trembling, hand out to touch the young woman's face.

She gently laid her hand against his. "Yes, it's me. It's Julia. You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you."

His hand shook against hers and she spoke to reassure him, "Alonzo, listen to me. I know you are in pain. I'll do all that I can to take it away. Don't be afraid about your sight. I examined your eyes when I first freed you. There was some inflammation but I couldn't see anything that would cause permanent damage. I flushed your eyes with a sterile saline solution right away, but the corneas may be irritated. Once we get back to camp, I'll do a thorough examination to be sure that's all it is. Right now, I'll need to dress your injuries."

Silently Julia cursed the fact that the first-aid kit's supply of one and one half inch gauze wasn't nearly enough. "Walman will carry you back to the Rail where I'll give you morphine. It should help, but the ride back will be rough so, if it's not enough, tell me and I'll give you a partial pain block. I can't give you too much because of the danger of shock."

She looked for some response that he heard her but there was none. His hand was limp in hers.

To Walman she said, "Can you manage to carry him to the Rail if I help you?"

The big blond hoisted the pilot in one fluid motion. Alonzo yelped in protest.

"Careful you don't hurt him."

Walman gave Julia a dirty look. "Wha 'bout me?"

The doctor ignored the question. She didn't like Alonzo's color or his rapid breathing. They were signs of deepening shock. Walman deposited the pilot on the blanket Julia had laid across the back seat of the Rail. The doctor tore her first-aid kit apart, quickly plotting the best use of her limited resources. First, she pumped him with fluids, then added a dose of Morphine for the pain.

His legs and feet seemed to have suffered the worst burns, second degree, which meant the epidermis and corium layers were both being affected. They would have to be wrapped for protection from the dirt the Rail was sure to kick up. Then she moved to his head, cautiously covering the top with its deep gash and extending the covering over his eyes. Alonzo moaned softly as he drifted in the soft fog of a drug-induced stupor. Finally, she created a small canopy with the blanket around his body. It would provide warmth and protection and yet not touch the sensitive skin. She was thankful that he had remained still through it all.

"Let's go!"

Walman rose stiffly, his face throbbing, and dutifully climbed behind the wheel. Julia had taken her position on the floor beside her patient and was already on gear, rapid-firing orders to Morgan about what needed to be done before their arrival. The vehicle sped off. Walman's aching face protested every bump, rut or pounding jar of the Rail, but he counted himself fortunate. He easily could have ended up in the same ground meat shape as Alonzo or a deathlike state like Danziger, but for some reason fate had been kind to him today. The bone-healer vaccine would have him almost as good as new by tomorrow. It was one of the few drugs Julia had been able to synthesize.

The crewman knew the rest of the medical supplies were dangerously low due to Julia's all out attempt to cure Eben Singh and Devon Adair. Eben had died and Devon lay suspended in cold sleep for want of a diagnosis or cure. The doctor's confidence was as low as her drug inventory and Alonzo's life hung in the balance. With the driver's mind so occupied, the miles rolled past until at last the campsite lay dead ahead.

"It looks like the isolation tent is set up." The doctor leaned forward, holding on the front seat and shading her eyes against the sun's glare as the golden orb dipped close to the horizon. "I hadn't realized how late it was. Pull as close to the Med-Tent as possible." Julia turned back to the pilot and arranged the coverings to protect his privacy.

As the Rail rolled into camp, Morgan ran up, his eyes drinking in the sight of the injured men. "What the hell happened? We waited for you to call. I realize the Rover is slow but there might have been something we could have done."

Before the vehicle slowed to a complete stop, the doctor jumped out. "I'm sorry, there wasn't time. We had to move fast and make split-second decisions. Right now, I need stretchers for Alonzo and Danziger. Alonzo goes to isolation. John to the Med-Tent, he's been stung twice by a Koba."

Morgan paled. "Oh, Lord! How did that happen?"

"It's a long story. Walman will fill you in while I try to stabilize Alonzo. Ask Bess if she will keep an eye on John for me right now. She knows what to do."

The doctor began supervising the careful removal of her injured friends. Danziger was completely limp as Cameron and Baines lifted him from the vehicle and laid him in the net carrier. Julia turned and spotted True watching. The child was frozen in place, her eyes wide and terrified as they looked on her father's death-like countenance.

Julia hurried over and knelt beside her. "True, your dad was stung by a koba. We both know how scary that looks but in a few days he should be fine. Your father did a very brave thing. He got what we needed to save Alonzo. Now, he needs care so I want you and Bess to watch over him until he wakes up, just like you did for Morgan, okay?"

True nodded her tear-stained face and never took her eyes from her dad's still form. Julia caught Bess Martin's eye and the woman came over to take the little girl's hand. Together, Bess and True entered the Med-tent to begin their vigil while Julia entered the isolated area just off the main facility.

A heavy plastic had been draped over the Medical Tent. A portion extended out the back to form a small alcove which was also sealed from the main work area in an attempt to form an aseptic environment. Despite primitive conditions, it worked fairly well. Julia had used it once before when a mysterious virus had infected some of the crew. Now the situation would be reversed as the doctor sought to keep out germs, rather than keep them isolated within the plastic bubble. For privacy, the transparent lining was wrapped in canvas, effectively closing off the world.

Donning a fully enclosed sterile suit, Julia gathered her limited arsenal of diagnostic equipment and medicine before ducking into the room which held the pilot. In this small claustrophobic room, the young doctor would wage a battle against death and despair in which her belief and confidence would be tested in ways she never dreamt possible.

ooo  
--end Part 3--


	4. Chapter 4

By midnight of the first night, Alonzo's skin was hot with fever. He tossed and turned in delirium, at times trying to arise. It took all Julia's strength to keep him in place and stop him from tearing at the few bandages that wrapped his head and eyes. She tried to dull the pain with medication. She spoke forcefully, telling him that he must lie still so he did not injure himself further.

During the times Alonzo quieted, Julia dozed fitfully. It seemed she no sooner fell asleep then he would become restless again. When she tried to attend to his needs, he fought her as if she were a demon intent on tormenting him. His screams woke the others. They taxed her patience with questions and demands that she allow them to help. They hindered rather then helped her so, by the next morning, she was insistent on an area away from them all. Eventually, she won this battle. The second night she confronted Alonzo's pain and demons alone.

Julia knew the first 48 hours were critical as fluid, salt and protein leaked into the burned area. Alonzo's body swelled, blisters filled with pus and his blood pressure dropped. Typically the cycle reversed itself. The fluids she pumped into him created an excessive urine output lowering his electrolytes. The doctor had inserted catheter and feeding tubes into her patient. Fluid intake and output were measured hourly.

She also monitored him closely for erratic heartbeats that might be caused from the chemical imbalances. With all this came the danger that shock might cause the collapse of any of the major systems of his body. A kidney, circulatory or digestive shutdown would be fatal.

Late in the evening of the second day, Bess called her on gear reminding her to eat. The woman met the doctor at the edge of the zone with a tray of food. Bess was clearly startled at Julia's appearance and begged her to allow someone else to help her with Alonzo's care.

Julia thanked her, refused and retreated to the tent. She swallowed a few mouthfuls before putting the plate to the side. It was quickly forgotten as she studied the new readings.

At some point during the night, she fell into an exhausted sleep. As the pain medication wore off, the pilot became agitated. She woke to find that he had pulled the wrappings from his head. Thin ribbons of blood trickled down his neck from the disturbed scalp wound. He rubbed at the cloth that bound his eyes until she grabbed his hands in hers. The feel of the protective gloves she wore was foreign to him and he pulled away.

"No, Alonzo, please, you're hurting yourself."

His hands closed tightly on hers in frustration, gagged by the tube in his throat. She pulled free long enough to place a sedi-derm against his throat. As the drug entered into his bloodstream, he fell back into her arms.

She cleaned and rewrapped his head, conscious of her dwindling supply of medication. While the camp slept and Alonzo lay still under the drug's effects, she checked on Danziger, collecting a few of her plant samples. Perhaps she could manufacture what she needed during the times the pilot was sedated.

When she returned, she bent over the pilot to check on him. The plastic of the protective outfit crackled. He reacted to the sound by moaning fitfully in his sleep. She leaned over him and brushed his hair against a fevered brow. The caress seemed to give him comfort despite the unfamiliar feel of the rubber gloves she had to wear to safe-guard him from infection. Julia pulled her cot over and laid close beside her lover. She continued to stroke him, until at last her hand lay still. The world grew dim around her as the care and grief took leave of her senses. She slept as night faded into day.

The Morning of the Third Day

"JULIA!!!"

The cry startled the young woman from an exhausted sleep. Alonzo stirred slightly under her scrutiny as she checked on him. She hurried to silence the source of the shouting so it would not disturb him further.

Shedding the clear protective wrap, she exited the tent. A quick glance told her the sun was only about an hour above the horizon. Some of the OPS crewmen nervously paced the edge of the agreed on zone. The doctor hurried to meet them, pulling back the hair which had come loose during the night in an effort to make herself presentable. This would be the extent of her preening. The brief interrupted sleep left her irritable and out of sorts.

Why hadn't they contacted her on gear instead bellowing from a distance? It had been agreed, if there was any change in Danziger's condition, Bess would contact her on gear immediately. Since Morgan's wife was not among this group, Julia's wondered what the problem could be.

"I gather this is important."

"What do you think?" Baines answered her. The Technician pointed to the area behind the isolation tent.

A half dozen Terrians stood formidably on the surrounding hillside, the ornaments at the tip of their staffs gleaming in the early morning sun.

Feeling uneasy, the doctor asked, "How long have they been there?"

"Your guess is as good as ours. They were there when we got up this morning. We were hoping that Alonzo might know what they want."

"Alonzo is asleep and I have no intention of waking him. He's in no condition to contact the Terrians."

"Well, what are we suppose to do about them?" Baines' voice rose with frustration and fear.

"I don't think there is anything we can do about them right now except ignore them."

They all looked at each other.

Morgan stepped forward. "Julia, the Terrians are just part of it. We've been talking and we're not happy with the way things are right now."

The doctor straightened defensively and searched the sullen faces around her. "Well, I can't say I am either, but I'm too busy to stand around bitching about it."

Morgan squirmed under her sarcasm. "Julia ....we have concerns. We need to know how things stand. Danziger has been out for almost three days. What if he doesn't recover? How do we know if the dose of poison he was subjected to is not fatal?"

Since the crash, vulnerability ran through their lives like an underground stream, unseen except for those times of extreme stress when it rose to the surface.

"Morgan, I checked him a few hours ago. He still appears to be in the same state that you were in when you were stung The double dose might make his recovery period longer, but I see no reason to doubt he won't wake up just as you did."

Julia wasn't fooled. They parried with words but the real issue was that she convinced Danziger and Walman to risk their lives to save Alonzo's. Of course, either man could have refused. If they had, she would have gone after the claws herself. There was no doubt in her mind then and she wouldn't allow them to second guess her decision now.

Clearly, some of the others were not as confident. With Devon gone and Danziger out of commission, there was no leader, no mechanic to fix the transportation they depended on to reach New Pacifica. They were a ship without a sail or rudder and there were rocks looming in all directions.

The stand-off was interrupted by an anguished cry from the isolation tent. Julia turned her back to the group and rushed back to her patient. The men stood staring after her, uncertain about what should be done.

As the doctor hurriedly dressed in the sterile outerwear, another cry pierced the air. "Ahhhh!!"

Throwing back the plastic lining, Julia was distressed by the sight that greeted her. Alonzo had torn the tubes from his body. Blinded by the gauze dressing that covered his eyes, he groped about his surroundings.

"Oh, no!!" The doctor hastened to his side. "Alonzo, it's me. Julia."

His hand jerked away as it came in contact with the plastic covering she wore. She cursed the protective layer that separated them and tried to soothe him with a gentleness of her voice.

"It's all right. It's a preventive measure to guard against infection."

"Thirsty."

"Okay, lie back and I'll get you some water."

She eased him back to where she could support him with one arm and raised a cup to his mouth with the other. As he drank, his lips cracked and bled under the tension of movement. He moaned in pain, pushing the cup away. Julia dabbed the blood away and applied an antiseptic cream to the weeping wound.

While the pilot panted from his effort, the doctor did a quick evaluation of the damage done in her absence. "Alonzo, several of the blisters have broken and have to be cleaned. It's going to be painful. I could sedate you but I'm running low on medication. If you think you can stand it, I promise I'll be as quick as possible."

He nodded his understanding.

"I'm going to have to restrain you."

"No!" His breath quickened.

"Alonzo, I have to. I know how this brings back the feelings of being trapped, but it's necessary if you're going to remain awake. You have to be kept still. If you move about, you may break others open, and with that comes a greater risk of infection."

"Eyes?"

"Your corneas are irritated. It's better if you keep your eyes closed until they have time to heal. That's the reason for the dressing. I promise there is no permanent damage."

She prepared what she needed as she talked, taking in the watery yellow discharge which seeped from angry deflated bubbles along his feet, legs and groin. Taking a deep breath to steady her resolve, she padded his skin under the cloth straps before securing his limbs to the sides of the cot. His hands balled into fists as she began her work. Soon he was groaning and attempting to twist away from the relentless scrubbing but the straps held him firmly in place.

She worked with a thoroughness that gave no indication that she heard his pleas to stop, but when she finished, they were both covered in a sheen of sweat and almost as equally exhausted.

The pilot panted from the waves of pain that washed over him. The doctor knew he was continuing to suffer despite the fact that she no longer touched him. She hated to give him more bad news.

"Alonzo, I can leave the feeding tube out but I'm afraid the catheter will have to go back in." She felt him tense under her hand.

After she completed the procedure, she released the restraints slowly. His body, taut with tension, relaxed somewhat. Even his breathing slowed.

"It's over. I'm sorry if I hurt you. Debridement was necessary so healing can take place without the hindrance of dead tissue. I'm going to put some warm compresses on you. This will relax the epidermis and dissolve any crusting. It should make you feel a little better."

He turned his face away, as if he didn't believe her. It was a small gesture but it tore at her heart.

In the small alcove off the main tent, Julia removed her hood and gloves. Putting on the communication gear, she contacted Yale and asked him to have someone bring a few containers of water to the medical tent. She would meet them outside. As she talked, she gazed at her own hands. The areas that had been burned during the freeing of the pilot were puffy and red. Some areas were infected despite numerous immersions in the antiseptic basin. As an after-thought, she asked that Walman accompany whoever brought the water.

Julia met Baines and Walman as they approached the tent carrying two large containers of water. The doctor threw a quick glance in the direction of the Terrians and saw they were still there, maintaining their vigil. She caught Baines as he looked uneasily from the Terrians to the tent. Alonzo's screams must have unnerved him, to say the least. She wondered what emotions it aroused in the Terrians.

Walman sported two black eyes but she was happy to see the swelling was down. His nose appeared normal. The doctor's eyes traveled down to his hands and found the same indication of infection that hers did.

"Have you been using the cream I gave you for the burns?"

"Yea, I've been putting it on just like you told me. It still hurts though."

She examined his hands and arms. "Why didn't you let me know it wasn't helping?"

He shrugged. "You were busy. It doesn't hurt that much."

"Walman, infection is nothing to play with. Wait here."

She took the jug from him, wrapping both arms around it to balance the weight against her body.

"We only filled them to the point where we thought you could manage them."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." She struggled, feeling weak under the liquid's weight. It occurred to her that lack of sleep and skipped meals were contributing factors to diminished strength. Work and stress were silent thieves, stealing her health and fitness.

After depositing the water in the alcove, she emerged with the diaglove and scanned Walman.

"You're running a slight fever. I want you to increase the applications of the cream. Make sure the areas that were burned stay clean. Drink plenty of water and rest. That means no work. Understand? If it seems to be getting worse, call me immediately. Day or night."

The doctor could see she was scaring him. "Look, I don't mean to frighten you. It's just that our resources are so limited right now, it might be better to err on the side of being overly cautious."

"Okay."

Baines shot his friend a dirty look, knowing he would have to take up Walman's slack. "How long, Julia? How long before Danziger wakes up? How long before we can see Alonzo? We need to know why these diggers are watching us like this. I don't know about you, but they're giving me the creeps. What do they want?"

Julia sighed and glanced back again at the tall silent figures on the hillside. "I'm sorry. I don't know the answer to any of those questions."

The black man snorted in disgust. "Great."

Ignoring his response, she added. "Tell Bess I'll be down later to check on Danziger. Right now, if you'll excuse me, I want to try to make Alonzo comfortable."

She turned back to the tent and threw a final comment over her shoulder. "Walman, make sure you do what I told you."

"I promise." The big man looked from the retreating doctor to his concerned friend. "Look man, she's doing the best she can."

"Yea, I know but it doesn't make me feel any better."

ooo

---end part 4---


	5. Chapter 5

Julia's routine involved the same painstaking precautions each time. Everything was thoroughly washed in an antiseptic bath before it entered the inner tent. The water for the wet compresses would have to be boiled first with heated coils. It was basically the same method and equipment they used to melt snow in the winter.

Once she was sure everything was sterile, she entered the closed off area where Alonzo lay. His lower body remained elevated under the canopy that kept him warm.

Julia found it best to warn the pilot of her presence. "Alonzo? I'm back." She wrung the compresses of excess water. "I'm going to lay a wet compress against your skin. It might sting for a moment, but it will help you feel better. Do you understand?"

His head rolled toward the sound of her voice. "Sorry...hurts bad."

"I know." Her voice was full of empathy. She longed to touch and hold him, but a new barrier had formed between them. She wore it in the form of sterile plastic.

As she looked down on his mauled, disfigured body, feelings of distress twisted her soft features. She was thankful he could not see her face as she thought of the treatments she would have to subject him to in the future. Sealed off from herself, Julia couldn't wipe her eyes. A sniffle and a blink sent a hot stream of tears tumbling down her face.

She cried for him and for those who had been lost. Eben, O'Neill, Firestein, Wentworth, and all the crewmen she didn't know. All of whom would never get their chance at a new life.

There was also Bennett, and Elizabeth who saved them before passing on a warning that the planet would reject them and soon they would all die. Devon was the first to fall victim to Dr. Anson's prophecy. Because Julia couldn't find a cure or a reason for the illness, she had locked their leader into a Cold Sleep suspension. It was a desperate bid to prolong her life. Devon's loss had demoralized everyone and it was the straw that broke Julia's confidence in her ability.

Julia fought her emotions with motion. Working silently, because her voice might betray her, she covered Alonzo with warm compresses. His sharp intake of breath with each contact of wet cloth wore on her nerves. In the end, her hands shook from tension. She played a role, encouraging the pilot on his prognosis. It was mask behind which most doctors hide the uncertainties of a complex profession.

Reality was a stark reminder. Here, twenty-two light years from the stations, she was the only doctor. The lives of her friends and lover were in her hands. For someone so young and untested, it was an overwhelming burden. She longed for an experienced physician's opinion, even if it meant nothing more than sharing the loneliness of her decisions. As Julia knew, loneliness could be the cruelest of friends when the demons of doubt and ambivalence came knocking.

"I'm finished. Any better?"

Alonzo's jaw tightened before he nodded slightly.

"I have to check on something. I'll be back in a few minutes. Later, we'll try a little physical therapy. It's important that you move. Just, don't start without me. Okay?"

"Hmmm."

"Alonzo? Do you hear me?"

There was no answer. She checked his vital signs. He had fallen into an exhausted sleep, so she took the opportunity to check on Danziger.

The Terrians hadn't moved. Julia found herself nervously glancing back over her shoulder as she walked into camp. She wondered if they were here because of Alonzo's condition. Were they aware of his pain? As far as she knew, they had not tried to contact the pilot. Were they simply awaiting Alonzo's fate or would they help cure him as they had when Uly was sick? It was frightening to think that, if anything happened to Alonzo, a nine year old boy would be their only link for understanding this strange species.

The doctor noticed with relief that most of her crewmates were at breakfast. She hoped to slip in and out before they accosted her with questions. Bess jumped as she hurriedly ducked into the tent.

"Oh, Julia, you startled me." Morgan's wife pressed her palm against her heart to emphasize her fright. "I just sent True out to get something to eat."

Julia leaned over Danziger, searching for any sign of change. "Has there been any movement? Any sign that he may be waking up?"

"No. Nothing. I would have called you right away." Bess studied Julia's face. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?"

"Just how do you mean that?" the doctor asked tensely.

"I mean, you look like hell. Julia, give yourself a break. Let one of us watch over Alonzo, at least until you've had some sleep."

"I'm fine. I can get by on very little sleep, thank you."

Julia checked the burns on Danzigers' hands. They showed no sign of healing, but there was also no sign of infection either, which was good.

"Bess, try to keep his hands clean in the area of the burns. Don't let anyone touch him without gloves."

"Sure. What do I tell True when she asks why her daddy won't wake up?"

Julia's face clouded. "She asked that?"

"Of course, she asked that." Bess went on earnestly, now that she had the doctor's attention. "Julia, you told her Danziger would wake up just like Morgan did. She's just a kid. She took it literally to mean two days, just like Morgan. It's been three and she doesn't understand what's wrong. She needs to hear some reassurance from you that everything will be all right."

Bess let Julia mull on her words. She could see the other woman's eyes grow distant as she retreated into herself for a time. It wasn't that Bess wanted to burden Julia with more responsibility but she had seen the little girl grow more frightened as the hours wore on. The fact that the doctor was not available only added to the child's uncertainty.

"Bess, why don't you go and get something to eat. Send True in when she's finished. You're right, I should talk to her."

Bess smiled, feeling like she finally got through to the young physician. "I'll get you something to eat, too. And, Julia, thanks. Coming from you, that her dad will be all right, will make True feel a lot better."

The doctor made no comment and this disturbed Bess Martin. Morgan's wife took pride in her keen powers of observation. Not many things passed by her unnoticed and this was no exception. She had kept watch over John Danziger for three days now and expected Julia to share something of her expectations for John or Alonzo's recovery.

The doctor was oblivious to Mrs. Martin's disappointment, however; she was more concerned about what she should tell True Danziger.

While Julia waited for True she studied John Danziger's read-outs on her diaglove. According to her instruments, the mechanic had no heart beat, no blood pressure or brain-waves. For all intents and purposes, Danziger had been dead for three days. Yet, his temperature stayed at 98.6 and there was no sign of decomposition. If the past was an indication of what she could expect, the mechanic would wake up with no side affect except some weakness from atrophic muscles.

It had entered Julia's mind more than once that this was a better alternative than keeping Devon in Cold Sleep. If she could isolate and control the part of the venom that caused the suspension of life, they could safely carry Devon to New Pacifica until a cure could be found.

"Julia? Bess said you wanted to talk to me. Is it my Dad? Is he going to be all right? How come he didn't wake up yet?" Danziger's child stood wide- eyed with fear at the tent's entrance. An endless stream of questions flowed out of her.

"Whoa! Take a breath, True. First, I don't want you to think I've been avoiding you or that I haven't been in to check on your father. I have, but it's usually been late at night when you and Bess were both asleep. I understand your concern and I want you to know that I haven't seen anything about your father that would indicate there is a problem. Your Dad got stung twice, that's double the dose Morgan received so he's bound to sleep longer. I'm sure in a day or so he'll be fine. Now, let's go over the rest of your questions one at a time."

When Bess appeared fifteen minutes later with a tray of food, she was dismayed to find the doctor was gone. True seemed content. She sat beside her sleeping father, telling him a story. True explained to Bess that Julia thought there might be a chance that her father could hear her. If so, it would be a good idea to let her dad know she was close by, waiting for him to wake up.

Julia's intent was to be truthful while trying to reassure Danziger's daughter. Instead, she saw a reflection of her own fear in the girl's eyes. Pity caused her to paint a child's picture. The colors might be wrong and so what if you crossed over the lines, for the time being, she would push back the dark storm clouds of doubt and believe in rainbows. The child in her needed to believe, as desperately as True, that heroes always wake up and live happily ever after.

The trouble was, Julia could not hold that vision for long. While she could pad the answers to True's questions, Bess was a different story. She wanted to leave before the other woman returned. It was a cop-out but how could she tell the others that she based her prognosis on nothing more than an educated guess. If her instinct was wrong, her credibility would pay the price. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it. Satisfied that her duty to True was done, the doctor beat a hasty retreat.

Julia hurried back to Alonzo. Even a brief absence left her anxious about his safety. This time she found him as she left him. She hated to wake him but it was time to begin the therapy. When she began to remove the compresses, he woke with a start. Gasping for air, he swung wildly. Julia was used to the pattern and moved out of harm's way quickly.

"Alonzo. It's all right. I'm just removing your dressing."

His body was rigid with tension. The veins in his head and neck stood out from the pressure of a heart hammering uncontrollably with fear.

"Alonzo, calm down! You're here with me."

The pilot collapsed back, panting with pain. Concerned, she checked his vitals and found his fever was up.

"Damn." she sighed.

The darks clouds began to gather once more.

The physical therapy was forgotten as she concentrated on bringing his fever down. When the old medicines failed, she tried some of the new and still his temperature continued to climb. Night found Julia bent over her cultures and slides, searching for the weapon which would win the microscopic war being waged in the pilot's body. Sweat dripped off the end of her nose and humidity fogged the plastic face-mask as she bent over her research. Alonzo's delirious mutterings broke her concentration. Finally, she was reduced to sponging her patient with cool water as his temperature soared to dangerous levels.

A call to camp for more water brought unwelcome news. Walman was also complaining of a terrible headache. A gear scan of his arms showed long red welts  
of spreading infection. Julia arranged to meet Baines to exchange water for antibiotics.

As she waited for the technician, Julia slumped wearily against a tree. The cool night air was welcome relief from the stagnant heat of the isolation suit. For the first time, she realized her clothes were soaked with sweat. The heat from her body gave off wavering wisps of vapor in the chilled night air so that her skin appeared to steam under the pale light of the twin moons.

"Julia?"

The doctor jumped. Baines blended in with the dark surrounding and she hadn't heard his approach.

"Are you all right?" The man's voice seemed muffled to her.

"Yes. I'm just tired. I didn't hear you coming."

She handed him the medicine and proceeded to give him instructions for Walman. The young man pocketed the meds before carrying the jug of water close to the tent. Julia saw him gaze in with a poorly masked curiosity.

"How's Alonzo doing?"

"Not too well. His fever is back up again. I had hoped keeping him isolated would prevent infection but it appears I was wrong." Julia turned so her face was hidden in shadow, but Baines picked up the despair in her tone.

"Yea, looks like Walman's coming down sick too. No offense, Julia, but you don't look too good either. Maybe it would be better if we dropped this isolation bit. We'd all feel better if you both were back in camp. Who knows what the diggers are up to. I don't know about you, but they're giving me the creeps, just standing around, like they're waiting for something to happen."

"I afraid that's out of the question. Even if I wanted to, Alonzo's too sick to move right now. I'm not sure what they want but I don't think we have anything to fear from the Terrians." Before he turned to go, she added, "Make sure Walman drinks plenty of water."

Baines nodded, then melted into the darkness. Julia glanced up to where the Terrians stood their silent vigil. A sudden chill had her wrapping her arms around her chest for warmth.

If she thought they would help, she'd go to the Terrians and ask them to help but Alonzo had told her they only observe humans. Uly seemed to be the one exception. They cured him. Others had died in the following months. Uly's mother could have been among them had not Julia resorted to desperate measure to save her life.

"Stop wasting time wishing for help and get back to work." She told herself. She hefted the jug and struggled into the alcove. "Either I getting weaker or...."

The jug slid through her arms, hitting the floor in an upright position. The water slopped against the sides and a small amount erupted from the top. Julia reached to steady herself as a wave of dizziness hit her. Spots danced before her eyes. With rubbery legs threatening to collapse, she sat down heavily and leaned against the water canister. The room seemed to close in.

Immediately, she brought her head down between her legs to increase the blood flow. "This is not good, Dr. Heller," she warned herself.

As the young woman waited for her strength to return, she heard a noise from inside. Either Alonzo was on his feet or someone was with him. Neither was acceptable. Pushing herself upright, the doctor stumbled into the inner sanctum, where she collided with a seven foot Terrian.

Startled, Julia stepped back. "What are you doing? How did you get in here?"

The tall earthen figure cocked his head as if trying to understand her agitated tone. Julia's concern for Alonzo was paramount and when she tried to fight her way past the Terrian, he blocked her advance with an outstretched staff. The strange features of the creature twisted in an attempt to communicate.

The young woman's head was filled with its high-pitched screeching. She fell to her knees holding her ears against the sound which reverberated within her brain. "Stop. Please, stop!"

The being looked down at the frail human and seemed to realize the noise was causing distress. He laid his hand on the woman's forehead. Julia instinctively closed her eyes as the leathery palm lightly brushed the features of her face. The passage seemed to smooth away the stress and misery of the last few days. It was as if the creature wrapped her in a shroud of serenity. She felt herself grow limp, then slump at the creature's feet. Consciousness was like a feather before a strong wind; swept away to drift in the realm of unconscious sleep.

The Terrian reached down and laid a single koba claw on the doctor's chest before it returned into the earth.

For the first time in days, Julia slept deeply. It was a sleep filled with strange, uncompleted dreams. When she woke at dawn, the dreams and their meanings faded under the harsh glare of light. Concern for Alonzo's well-being surfaced to crowd the doctor's thoughts and force her to her feet. The claw fell to the ground unnoticed.

Despite the fact that the sterile environment had been violated, the pilot seemed no worse. In fact, his fever was down and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Relief out-weighed any feelings of perplexity over the cause of the change. The remission might be temporary so it was important to begin work on a stronger medication immediately.

Back in her lab, Julia noticed the koba's nail on the floor of the tent. Wondering where it came from, she placed it carefully out of harm's way in a jar on the worktable. The Terrian's message was lost on the young doctor. Julia was not a dreamer.

ooo  
--end part 5--


	6. Chapter 6

John Danziger's return to the realm of the living was a gradual process. His sense of hearing was the first to awaken, picking up the routine sounds of camp: the flap of canvas in the wind, the distant cry of birds.

For a time he was content to listen to the sounds of life around him. Then, awareness began to dawn like the sun, slowing beating back the darkness that engulfed him. He tested his body with a stretch and, after days of lying motionless, he found it was stiff and unforgiving, like the fit of a bad suit. His throat was dry.

A familiar face appeared above him. "John, how are you feeling?"

He stared back, puzzled. What was Bess Martin doing in his tent? His mind searched frantically for some concept of time or reason. "Wha....?" was all he managed to croak out.

"We've been worried about you. It's been four days. Morgan was only out two, but then he was only stung by one claw. Now, you rest while I get Julia. She wanted to know the moment you opened your eyes. At least, she can stop worrying about you now."

He closed his eyes, gathering strength as he waited. Clipped versions of memory flashed behind closed lids.

"John?"

Danziger opened his eyes. Julia's tired face peered down at him. He was taken aback by the toll the last few days had taken on the young woman. Her face had a sunken hollow look of intense weariness. Her pale blue eyes, normally clear and sharp, seemed dull and clouded.

He came straight to the point. "Alonzo? Did it work?"

"We were able to free him. The poison in the claws was sufficient to stun the plant."

"And..." he prompted her.

"He suffered first and second degree burns over most of his body. His back must have been pressed against the bark since there were no burns there. A hair-line skull fracture--"

"Julia, can I just have the bottom line? I'm still kinda fuzzy. Is he all right or not?"

The focus of her eyes changed. She looked away, avoiding his. "I'm not sure. It's too soon to tell yet."

Danziger looked from Julia to Bess. Morgan wife's answered the question in his eyes while she looked toward the doctor with concern.

"Except to check on you, Julia's hasn't moved from his side. She's hardly eaten or slept since you returned. She needs a break but she won't listen to us," Bess complained as if Julia wasn't there.

The other woman sighed. "Bess, we've been over this before. I'm fine." To Danziger, she added, "I want you to rest and drink as much as possible. Eat as much as you'd like, but don't set foot out of bed for another four to six hours. I'll be back to check on you before that." She began to move away and, in an afterthought, turned back to the mechanic. "I want to thank you for what you did, John. If Alonzo has any chance, it's due to what you did for him."

He nodded to her and she ducked back under the heavy canvas.

"Okay, Bess. What the hell happened?"

"Well, Julia already told you that the koba venom allowed them to free Alonzo. After that she called in to Morgan saying they needed to find a large amount of water fast. He gave her directions and, before he could offer to help, she cut him off. Walman later told us that she was in a hurry to wash the acid from Alonzo's skin before it did any more damage.'

'They found the stream Morgan directed them to. Walman said, as he held Alonzo in the water so Julia could work on him, he couldn't help but notice that Alonzo looked terrible. Walman said right after that Julia touched Alonzo's face and he went crazy. After he broke Walman's nose, he got hold of Julia. He was apparently confused about who she was and tried to drown her. Luckily, Walman was able to stop him before he hurt her.'

'The next time we heard from Julia was when they were on the way back. She asked for an isolation tent to be set up. That is where we put Alonzo when you got back. She wouldn't let anyone in after that, saying she had to guard against infection."

Danziger remained quiet, taking it all in, as Bess went on.

"The first night was terrible. True and I watched over you until we both fell asleep. Some time during the night, Alonzo began to scream like he was in terrible pain. He woke everyone up until Julia sedated him. Again, we could only ask questions from out here. She wouldn't let anyone in, not even Yale, who thought he might be able to help.'

'The next day she asked us to set up a separate tent for you and move the rest of the camp a distance away so Alonzo wouldn't disturb anyone's rest. Well, we were all against that. Walman and Baines had gone back to get the ATV. After looking around, they were pretty sure the attack on Alonzo was planned. The two men that attacked him must have been watching our camp. Baines worried that they might be part of a larger group so we added extra guards at night and no one left camp for scouting trips. Everyone's nerves are shot. We've been arguing about what we should do.'

'Julia kept insisting that she needed to be more isolated if Alonzo was going to have a chance. She said she would take a Mag-Pro for protection. We finally agreed to move camp about 35 meters away. Julia would be the only one to enter and exit the isolation zone. We have communicated on gear otherwise. We've seen little of Julia and nothing of Alonzo since then."

"I need to get out of this bed." The mechanic groaned as he tried to sit up. He fell back on the cot, too weak to sit up. "Man, what a hangover."

"John, I think you should listen to Julia. Besides, we're not going anywhere with Alonzo in such bad shape and Walman sick."

"Walman? Walman's sick?"

"The burns he and Julia got from the plant are infected. Julia's aren't too bad but Walman's in bed with a fever."

Danziger looked at his hands and arms. "I'm burnt, too. It hasn't healed, but it doesn't seem to be infected."

"I've been putting an antiseptic cream on your hands as a preventative measure. Julia thinks the venom may have delayed your body's ability to heal itself. By the way, True has been here for the last four days. She fell asleep pretty late last night. I had Cameron carry her back to sleep in her own bed for a change. If you don't need me for anything, I think I'll go wake her with the good news. She's going to have my head since she wasn't here to see you wake up."

Danziger smiled. "Yea, she can be a bear in the morning, too. Thanks, Bess. I appreciate all that you've done."

"You're welcome. Now remember, John, you're to stay in bed until Julia gives you the okay." With the mechanic's nod, Bess went to wake his daughter.

On the way, she passed Julia, who was in deep conversation with Yale outside Walman's tent.

"Yale, have you been able to find anything about plant biology that might explain the reaction we are experiencing?"

"There is documentation that certain plants produce chemicals which they use for defensive purposes when they are threatened."

"The lower pH of the acid?"

"That might be part of it."

"You think we may have be exposed to something more?"

"I'm not sure Julia, but your wounds and Walman's are not healing as they should. What about Alonzo's injuries?"

"His injuries are so much more extensive then ours," The doctor admitted, "Despite my best efforts to keep the area sterile, his wounds are infected, also. He has a remittent fever. Last night it was so high, I was afraid...."

"Julia, why didn't you ask for help?'

"Yale, right after Baines brought the water, I found a Terrian had entered the tent. He wasn't in the area where I have Alonzo, but he may have been. He touched me. I think, somehow, he made me sleep. When I woke up, it was morning. Alonzo's fever was down."

"You think the Terrians have intervened?"

"I have no way of knowing. I just remember how they brought Uly's temperature down with a handful of dirt. Do you know how frustrated that makes me feel, Yale? They have the knowledge I need to cure and I have no way to communicate with them."

"Perhaps Alonzo...?" the tutor began.

"Not in his present condition. I'm sorry, Yale, I really must get back. I'm afraid to leave him for long."

"Of course. I will get to work on putting together the compounds you need."

"Thank you."

"Julia, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that Alonzo's survival may depend on how well you take care of yourself."

"His survival depends on a great deal more than that, I'm afraid."

For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, Julia worked on isolating the chemical that was suppressing their immune systems. She suffered with chills, for the fever that raged in Alonzo and Walman was gaining on her own genetically enhanced physiology. Between studies, she tried to make Alonzo comfortable. His fever was back and he tossed in a restless delirium. Walman was little better. Despite the liberal use of medications, both men's lives seemed to be slipping away. The hour-glass of time and hope was beginning to run low.

Julia called Yale on gear. "Yale, I'm taking you up on your offer to help. Meet me outside the isolation tent." Then she placed another call before meeting the tutor with a sterile plastic outer covering. "I want you to watch over Alonzo while I'm gone."

"Gone? Where are you going?"

"Baines and I are going back to the spot where Alonzo was attacked. I need to get a pure sample of the plant digestive enzyme. The substance that is affecting our bodies has been changed. Its composition has been altered by our immune systems."

"Julia isn't this dangerous? How do you plan to get a sample?

"Hopefully, I can get it to attach itself to me. If I'm right, just the feel of a potential meal should set off salivary glands and I should be able to penetrate the tough outer layer with a hypodermic needle to get my sample. With Baines along to help, I'll be able to pull free before it has me firmly in its grasp."

"But we don't even know if there are more penal colonist in the area. What you're suggesting is extremely risky."

"Yale, Alonzo and Walman are running out of time. I have no choice."

The tutor looked into eyes bright with fever. The doctor was a desperate woman, who knew her own time was running short.

"Take one of the other men - Cameron or Mazatl - with you."

"But.."

"That's not a request," the tutor said firmly.

The young woman decided not to push her luck. Julia left Yale with instructions about Alonzo's care then ran off to enlist Cameron. The three took off in the DuneRail shortly thereafter.

ooo

Julia was quiet on the ride out to the site. The bouncing Rail made her half sick, so she closed her eyes against the swaying scenery and tried to plan a strategy. Concentration waned against overpowering feelings of fatigue and strain. She nodded, half asleep.

"Oh Shit!"

Julia woke with a start at Baines' exclamation. The Rail was stopped. Both men climbed out, leaving her to stumble after them. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she caught up to them as they stopped and turned toward her. Slowly, they separated and allowed her to see past them.

The vines lay on the ground just as she had left them. The once bright green and brown coils had dried to a lifeless ash. Julia fell to her knees and lifted the withered tentacles, now harmless in death.

"Oh, no!" She looked up hopelessly at the men.

"Looks like too much koba venom can be a bad thing." Baines remarked, glancing around uneasily.

The doctor approached the tree, and to the other's dismay, reached into the dark holes. She pulled out more vines, all dead. Nothing appeared to have survived. Eventually she gave up and slumped against the bark.

Baines and Cameron looked at each other. Finally, the technician said, "Look, Julia, maybe we can find another one." When he got no response from the doctor, he went on, "It wasn't your fault. If you hadn't killed it, it would have killed Alonzo, right?"

The young woman sighed heavily. Rousing herself, she walked dejectedly past them, back to the Rail. "I didn't intend to kill it, only stun it until we could release him." She didn't add that any hope of neutralizing the toxin was as dead as the vines beneath her feet. "We might as well go back to camp. I'm afraid it's back to square one."

The men followed her. She climbed into the back seat and rolled into a fetal position. Without a word, they took their positions in the front. Cameron drove as Baines rode shotgun. The Rail abruptly turned and, with a spray of dust from the over-sized wheels, headed back to camp.

ooo

Bess had given up on Danziger who decided he didn't need Julia to tell him when he was well enough to get out of bed. Although he was still unsteady, once he was up, washed, and shaved, he felt almost normal again. He was anxious to check on the situation in camp and started with Walman.

The blond crewman lay on his cot, his forearm draped across his eyes. His hands were wrapped in gauze. Circles of yellow discharge seeped through the porous layers, staining the cotton dressing.

"Walman? You awake?"

"Yea, John. Glad to see you're up."

"Bess told me you were sick."

"I'm burnin' up, man. My hands are infected from that shankin' plant. How about you?"

"I feel all right. A little shaky but otherwise okay."

"Your hands aren't infected?"

"Not yet."

"Maybe I wasn't so lucky after all; should have taken that koba's sleep-derm instead."

"Yea, maybe. But, Julia said my reaction might only be delayed. I may be in the same boat with you soon. Anything I can get for you before I check on Alonzo?"

"Just some water."

Danziger held the cup while his crewman drank thirstily.

When he finished, Walman lay back. "Thanks, John. Just a word of warning about Alonzo."

"What?'

"He looked real bad to me, John. I know Julia thought she could save him but I hope we didn't make a mistake We might have just prolonged his misery from the inevitable."

Danziger frowned. "You don't think he'll make it?"

"I don't know. All I know is, we're coming across stuff that no one could have even imagined back home. It's all alien. Besides, Julia is almost out of medicine. Even if she knew how to fight something this strange, she doesn't have anything to do it with."

"Come on, Walman. Things aren't that bleak. We've gotten this far. I'm betting Julia will pull him though."

"I hope you're right, 'cause I'm next in line after Alonzo."

"Noted. Rest easy, pal. I'm going to check with Yale. Maybe he can come up with something from his medical files on alternative medicines that Julia may have missed."

"You'll have to call him on gear. He's in the isolation tent. Julia left him to watch over Alonzo while she's gone."

"Gone? Gone where?"

"Baines told me he was taking her back to the spot where Alonzo was attacked. She wanted to get some kind of sample from the plant." Walman could see the mechanic flush.

"Is she out of her mind?!"

"That's what Baines told me. Maybe you'd better check with Yale."

Pulling his gear from his pocket, Danziger stormed off. "I intend to."

Yale barely made it outside in time to prevent the big man from entering the tent. "John, Julia asked me to safeguard the area while she was gone."

Danziger fought to keep his temper in check. Glancing uneasily toward the tent, he lowered his voice to a muffled roar. "Then it's true, she went back to that thing." When the tutor nodded, Danziger was incredulous. "I can't believe you let them go back there. Didn't anyone fill you in on what happened out there?"

"I believe I heard Walman's version. Are you suggesting I should have physically restrained Dr. Heller?"

"I think we all should have discussed it first instead of allowing the three of them to risk their necks on what may be a wild goose chase."

"It would seem the chase is over and their necks are still in place." The older man gestured toward the vehicle that was just entering camp.

Danziger looked from the Rail to Yale. The tutor's expression was more of relief then smug satisfaction.

"Come, John. I'm just as interested in the results of this 'wild goose chase' as you are."

Together, they went to meet the Rail.

--end Part 6--


	7. Chapter 7

Julia was not happy to see Danziger up. She was even more upset to see him by Alonzo's tent talking to Yale. The doctor hopped clear of the Rail after it came to a stop and hurried to meet the two approaching men. "I thought I told you to stay in bed until I had time to check on you. Do you want to end up on your back again?"

"And how long was I supposed to wait? What if you didn't come back?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about our only doctor exposing herself to a plant that has a taste for humans, penal colonists, murderers, and god knows what else. I hope whatever you were after was worth the risk."

"What I found has more to do with your risk than mine. You'd better talk to True. There are to be no more pets in camp and I would advise you to avoid kobas in the future. Your life may depend on it."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The doctor ignored the profanity and turned to address Yale. "I'm afraid I wasn't able to get a sample. The koba's venom proved fatal to the plant."

The mechanic paled. "What?"

She turned back to Danziger. "In my rush to free Alonzo, I accidentally overdosed it. Since you also received a large dose, you'll have to be cautious until it works its way out of your system. That means you can't take the chance of being stung again."

"I never intended to get stung in the first place. I was trying to get what you needed when it sneaked up on me from behind. The next thing I know, everything goes dark, and four days of my life disappear. But, what really has me pissed off is the fact that I'm still in the dark about what is going on around here."

"What do you want to know? Why did I go back? I went back to get a sample of the enzyme the plant used for a defense. It not only burned our skin, it injected a toxin which is suppressing our immune systems. Because of that, Alonzo has become critical and Walman and I have been getting sicker each day. You're four days behind us on the curve. The facts are: I don't know what I'm dealing with, the limited amount of medication I have left is practically useless and time is running out. Anything else?" When she finished, the young woman began to shake.

Danziger reached out to steady her. "Take it easy, Doc. I'm just trying to find out what's going on. I'm not the enemy here."

"I'm sorry. I don't feel well. I'm disappointed the plant is dead. It means we have to start over again." Turning toward the tutor, "Yale, I will need your help. We need to get started right away."

"Of course."

Danziger couldn't help but feel he was being dismissed. "If there is anything I can do Julia--"

"I'll call you," she finished.

"Yea, right."

The mechanic held the elderly man's eyes as the doctor turned away and entered the tent. Like a tightly drawn bow, they both felt Julia's tension. How long would it be before she snapped?

Wordlessly, with a look, Danziger conveyed his desire to be informed of any change in the situation.

Yale nodded and followed the doctor. Once inside, he asked, "Don't you think you were a little rough on him?"

"You don't know everything that went on out there, Yale. I don't want Danziger or Walman near Alonzo."

Yale was worried about Julia. Clearly, she appeared feverish. Had it begun to affect her rationality?

"I don't understand. They helped save him."

"Yes, they did. But only after I convinced them not to kill him."

"Julia, do you know what you are saying?" Yale's voice was stern, almost reproachful.

"I'm sure they thought what they were going to do would have been for the best... A mercy killing."

"Go on."

Julia paced, reliving the horror again.

"When we realized what they had done to him, what was happening to him inside that thing...it was inconceivable. We tried everything we could think of to free him. Nothing worked. Yale, I was so desperate I couldn't think. Somehow, between them, Walman and Danziger decided it would be best to end Alonzo's suffering. Danziger raised the Mag-Pro....." Remembering shook her.

"They didn't tell you because they knew you would try to stop them," he surmised.

Julia nodded. "Walman held me back when I tried."

The tutor could imagine the woman's fear. He knew how deeply she cared for the pilot. "Julia, they did not harm him. If they are guilty of anything, it was that they didn't want him to suffer. I'm sure it was something neither took lightly, but something they felt had to be done because there was no other way. In the end, you came up with an alternative, one which they were willing to listen to. They helped you to make it work, Julia."

"For a while at least."

"Julia, it is something you still might have to face. Alonzo may die."

"No, not like this. I won't let him die. I won't let anyone help him to die."

The tutor laid a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Julia, you cannot hold back death if it's meant to be any more than you can hold back the night."

She offered no reply but he saw her jaw tighten with resolve as she gathered the remains of her medications. Donning her mask, she slipped through the clear tarp and settled by the pilot's side. Yale sighed. There was nothing he could do but wait. If the medication didn't work, it would only be a matter of time.

Towards evening, Julia asked Yale to check on Walman. When the tutor entered the tent, he found Bess trying to feed soup to the sick crewman, who resisted her efforts.

Laying the bowl to the side, she got up. Taking the elderly tutor's arm, she turned him around and led him back outside. "Yale, we have to do something. The medicine Julia has given him is not working. The infection on his hands is deep. It's beginning to remind me of gas gangrene." At Yale's surprised look, she went on. "I saw it a lot in the mines. Any injury that produced an open wound became easily infected. Remember the conditions we lived under, there were no doctors or medications. We were on our own as far as medical care went. We made do with homemade remedies. It wasn't always pretty, but it worked."

"Are you saying you have something in mind? Because if you do, I believe now is the time for suggestions. We are out of medicine, homemade or otherwise."

The briefest hint of a smile passed over the young woman's face. "As a matter of fact, I did put something together. Just in case, you know. Down in the mines, we had a saying, 'prepare for the worst and hope for the best.'"

"A wise policy."

"There's just one problem." As one of his eyebrows rose in question, she answered, "Julia."

"You think Dr. Heller would not be receptive to your suggestion. Is that it?"

"Let's face it, Yale. I'm an uneducated Earther compared to Julia. She's been chromo-tilted to excel in the medical arts, attended the best schools, and was handpicked by Dr. Vasquez. Do you really think she'll take kindly to me telling her how to do her job?"

"Perhaps it would be better if I plead your case, but first I must know exactly what you have in mind."

Morgan's wife went on to tell him of some of the folk cures of Earth's mining community she had seen used.

"Yale, I know I can duplicate all the elements I need for the procedure."

"If you are sure, I'll speak to Julia."

"Everything is in my tent. Help me carry what I need and we can show her together. Walman has all ready agreed to be the test subject."

Yale shook his head, amazed by her tenacity. Bess took his hand and led him to her tent. Morgan looked up from his journals, startled, as they both entered. Bess ignored her husband while she searched among the roots that hung on the supports.

Morgan smiled uncertainly at the tutor, not sure what the man was doing in his tent. "Ahhh..is there something I can help you with?"

"Morgan, where is my white-root?"

"White-root? Is that the one that smelled? It was attracting bugs so I threw it out."

"WHAT?!?!? You threw it out without asking me?"

"I had to. The smell was making me sick."

"Morgan!!!" Bess was exasperated.

"Now, don't get upset. I know where I put it. No one, aside from a Grendler, could stand the scent so I'm sure no one took it."

Morgan led them to the spot in a tree where he had hung the root. Yale immediately was hit with the smell of rotting vegetation, but he put aside his revulsion. With Bess, he leaned close to examine the soft mass.

"What's this all about?" Morgan asked.

"Your wife thinks she may have a cure for the infection that has baffled Julia."

"Really? Sweetheart, is that true?" Morgan asked, excited by the prospect.

"I'm hoping it is."

"It has something to do with this root?" With Bess's nod to the affirmative, her husband began to calculate. "A mold? Something like penicillin, only different, because it comes from here. That means it's not patented," he schemed out loud. "We could make a fortune. We'll call it Martincillin."

Bess was suddenly uneasy. "Morgan, I don't think..."

"Oh, Bess. I know I've been naming everything after myself. Morganite, the Upper Morgan River, but this is something we can share, like that other famous married couple who discovered.....whatever it was. In the future, when they think of Martincillin, they'll picture us."

"I don't want anyone picturing me."

Morgan brushed her remark aside and said to Yale, "My wife's a genius, but she's too modest. It's a good thing she has me to look out for her interests. I'll make sure she gets the credit she deserves. Yale, you can be our witness."

"Thank you. But, first, we must have Dr. Heller's approval."

Morgan rolled his eyes. "Yale, we both know Julia is close-minded about natural cures. I had to literally sling Grendler drool all over her precious slides before she realized it was the greatest pharmaceutical discovery of the century. Did she even thank me or offer to share the credit? No. I was the one who gave the shirt off his back for the supply that saved Baines and Danziger, but everyone forgets that."

"I intend to talk to Julia and plead your wife's case. I'll be sure Bess will get any credit she deserves."

"Besides, Morgan, I only promised Yale this would clear up the infection and buy Julia some time. She would still have to work on eliminating the toxin."

"Well, she'd better not look this gift horse in the mouth."

As Bess scraped specks off the root into a jar, Yale contacted Julia on gear. The tutor moved out of Morgan's earshot to speak to the doctor in private which aggravated the bureaucrat.

"Bess, why didn't you tell me about this first instead of going to Yale? As a lawyer, I know the proper way is to present this as something we have and they need. Then we negotiate a price. Everyone knows you only give something away when it's not worth anything."

Before Bess could reply, Yale rejoined them. "Julia is in the middle of debriding Alonzo. She'll join us as soon as she's able."

"In the meantime, poor Walman has to suffer."

"No. I told her after some research, I had found this procedure was used with remarkable results in the late 21st century when viruses built up an immunity against the antibiotics used to fight them. An over-use caused the medication to become useless over time. This procedure was used in desperate circumstances."

"So it's okay to start?"

"Yes. I explained what needed to be done. Since we have to wait for it to ahh...take effect, Julia will be here in time to monitor the situation. I must warn you, Bess, she told me she will stop the procedure if she feels the results are causing more harm than good."

"Thank you, Yale. All I ask is a chance. You and Julia won't regret this."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started," Morgan prompted.

Morgan found one look at Walman's putrefied hands brought him close to voiding his stomach, so he quickly exited on the excuse of watching for Julia. Yale's voice startled him.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave the witnessing to you. Julia needs me to watch over Alonzo while she's gone. It seems he is extremely critical. I pray your wife is successful."

"But..."

"I'm sorry. You will have to look out for your own interests."

Morgan swallowed back bile as he watched Yale trade places with the doctor across camp. Julia was intercepted by Danziger on her way, but she never broke her pace. He was forced to walk with her. Morgan brightened. Danziger could be a witness.

Unfortunately, Julia and Danziger were disagreeing about something and brushed past him before he could negotiate with the mechanic. Morgan had to wait a good portion of the afternoon before Danziger came back out.

"Finally! Look, Danziger, I need you as a witness. I'm sure we could arrange a small settlement for you and True. You understand we are the ones who discovered the cure and we will have to bear the full cost of manufacturing, but we can still be generous to those who would offer an endorsement. "

The big man looked distracted. "What the hell are you babbling about, Martin?"

"Bess's cure."

Over his shoulder, Danziger advised, "I wouldn't go counting your chickens--"

"Chickens? The discovery of the century for chickens. Are you out of your mind?"

What had his wife agreed to now? The thought of the loss of a great fortune forced Morgan to overcome his queasiness and he burst in on the women. Julia held her diaglove over the sick man's hands.

"Bess, what this about trading our discovery for chickens?'

"Morgan, not now!!"

Julia ignored him and spoke to Bess. "I think we can open the wound now. I'm not reading any sign of infection. It's amazing how fast it's absorbing the poison in his system."

Curious, Morgan approached for a better view. He blinked as the man's swollen hands seemed to pulsate.

"Just a small cut should do it. Be careful, they're going to gush out."

"What is?" he asked.

Bess looked up. "Morgan, I don't think you want to see this."

"Are you ready, Walman?" Julia asked.

"Yea, hurry!"

Morgan was frozen to the spot, unable to tear his widening eyes away. Walman's hands were deathly white, contrasting against the inflamed corruption of huge blisters which seemed to undulate under Julia's laser. A small incision was all it took.

Julia moved quickly to avoid the spewing mass and almost tripped over Morgan who had dropped in a dead faint behind her. Regaining her balance, she checked her readings while Bess purged the wound. "It worked! The remaining tissue is healthy." Julia looked in awe at the other woman.

"I know. It always did back on Earth." Bess bent over her husband. "Morgan, sweetheart, I tried to warn you."

"Good job, Bess! Walman, how are you feeling?"

"Better. It's over, right?" he asked anxiously

"I'd say we at least have a level playing field right now," Julia assured him. "Bess, I'm going to need your help with Alonzo. His wounds are much more extensive. I hope you have more of this."

"Sure. There's plenty more where this came from," the woman said happily.

Walman groaned, "I'll never understand why they call you the weaker sex."

--end Part 7--


	8. Chapter 8

There was little time for celebration. Morgan was revived and, leaning heavily against his wife, stumbled away to fresher air and less appalling sights. Julia cleaned Walman's wounds thoroughly, checking and rechecking his tissue. Only when she was sure there was nothing more to be done did she collect the soiled dressings and use them to gather the mess from the floor. Carefully, so nothing dropped, she carried the putrid bunch to the fire outside and tossed it in. She peeled and added her gloves to the burning material. The flames flared, greedily consuming the moist fuel. The doctor stood mesmerized at the sight. Withered by the intense heat, the matter twisted, popped and fizzed.

"Julia!" Yale's voice sounded from the head-gear around the doctor's neck.

She raised the set, her hands burning from the motion. The suction from the gloves removal had opened ulcerations. Runny yellow pus snaked across skin gray with fatigue.

"It's Alonzo." The tutor sounded breathless. "I had to tie him down. He's delirious."

Alonzo's screams could be heard over the doctor's headset even as he spoke.

"I'll be right there."

As Julia reached the isolation tent, she called Bess, urging her to hurry. Despite the urgency, she still went through the rituals of keeping her patient safe from additional infection. Considering the treatment she was condoning, it all seemed ridiculous, but her behavior was ingrained, the result of years of following proper procedure.

Yale waited impatiently, unnerved by the pilot's agonizing cries.

"It's because he's bound and unable to move. He feels trapped. He keeps reliving the nightmare," Julia explained to the elderly man. The doctor leaned over her patient. "Alonzo, can you hear me?"

The sick pilot gave no indication he did. He continued to toss from side to side while struggling against his bonds. Deep suppurating ulcerations on his chest and legs began to erupt, filling the air with the jarring smell of corruption.

Alonzo's mind was tortured by fever as an unending nightmare replayed behind his blinded eyes. A war waged within him, and the heat of the conflict burned the body's fluids faster than they could be replaced. Sweat streamed from every pore of his ravaged body, mixing with blood and the liquid poison of infection. The cot beneath him was soaked with his own soil.

Morgan's wife called meekly from outside. Julia turned away briefly and asked Yale to see to Bess' preparation. When the woman was ready, Julia left Alonzo's room, and together they prepared the agent in the lab area.

"Bess, he's very sick. It's not a pretty sight, much worse than Walman. I'll understand if you don't want to go any further, but I need to know now. I can't worry about you once we start."

Bess Martin was a petite woman. Her fragile beauty was suddenly contrasted by a steely-eyed glint. Her chin rose in stubborn determination. "Don't worry on my account. Between blasts and cave-ins back in the mines, I've seen and treated my share of maimed and mangled bodies."

"Then, I guess we're ready to proceed."

Holding the extra light they would need, Yale opened the flap for the two women. Bess's eyes widened the instant they fell on the pilot. Instinctively she glanced over at Julia and found the other woman studying her reaction. Her horror and revulsion changed to one of pity and compassion. It was the doctor who looked away first.

With Bess across from her and Yale at Alonzo's head, Julia began the tedious task of inserting into the tainted flesh the tiny specks Bess had gathered from the root. Once planted, each incision had to be closed off so the agent was effectively sealed within. There, it would thrive in a bacterial soup. Soon, it would begin to feed on the custard-thick liquid and dead tissue of Alonzo's wounds.

Bess lost track of time. It felt like hours since they had started and she was aware of a growing stiffness in her limbs. She glanced up at Yale when he switched the light from one hand to the other. His expression never changed as he studied Julia's work. The doctor was oblivious to everything but her task.

The injured pilot's leg jerked as Julia cut into a large boil on his thigh. She reached for more of the agent that Bess held. For the first time, Morgan's wife caught a slight trembling in the other woman's hands. Alonzo twisted and twitched in obvious pain under the continuous pricking. His protests were muffled by the tube down his throat. From what Bess could tell, most of it was the gabbled nonsense of fever-induced disorientation.

To Alonzo it was very real. Caught and unable to move, he felt the beast moving across his body. Its white hot fingers poked and invaded his flesh. Thirst burned his throat dry. He tried to cry out for water, but some obstruction blocked his effort. The thought that a tentacle had penetrated his mouth and was working its way down his throat brought panic. He began to hyperventilate.

When the pilot began to gasp for air, Julia was forced to stop. She pulled a sedi-derm from the pocket of her gown and pressed it against his neck. The pilot slumped as the drug took effect.

"That's the last of it," she told them. "It's not a full dose, but it should keep him quiet until we finish." She shook from a sudden chill.

"Are you all right?"

"We have to finish before the drug wears off."

Her two assistants exchanged worried glances.

"I have a fever. It's causing chills," she explained. "Yale, I need more light here. Come closer beside me."

"Julia, if you want to lie down, I can finish up here," Bess offered.

"I'm all right."

"No, you're not. Why are you denying it? What good will you do Alonzo if you end up killing yourself."

Never missing a beat with her work, Julia replied, "Bess, I'm not denying anything. If I don't find a way to neutralize the toxin, the four of us may die. Your treatment will buy some time, but it's not a cure."

"You expect Danziger to become sick, also?"

"Not only do I expect it, I intend to study it. He's four days behind us on the curve. I've taken samples of his blood. Hopefully, I can learn something about the progression of the substance." Putting down her instruments, she added, "That should do it. Now we have to wait."

Since it was almost dawn, they arranged a watch schedule. Julia went to check on Walman and Danziger while Bess went back to her tent to grab a nap. Yale remained to watch over the pilot.

Alonzo drifted in a sea of torment. Wave-patterns of pain and fever carried him up crests and down troughs in an endless, cycled rhythm. With the pain, came the stench of death. Time was measured in a few brief lucid periods. It was then he began to realize that the smell was the rotting of his own flesh.

He wished for death, to be freed from the shell of a near-dead corpse that continued to hold him prisoner. He seemed doomed to remain bound, helpless and blind to the people and events happening around him.

As the drug wore off, he squirmed and writhed. Along with screaming pain of exposed nerve-ends came a new sensation. It was as if tiny bubbles had formed under his skin and were moving about just under the surface. In the dark recesses of his mind, a long forgotten memory of a dark alley on some distant station surfaced and with it the sight of what festers on things long dead.

As the hours passed, Yale noticed the first signs that something was occurring in the younger man's body. Alonzo's skin twitched in response to an unseen stimulus. The cyborg laid a gloved hand against a rippled area and felt a faint movement. Julia ducked in and startled him.

"Is everything all right?"

"He seems disturbed. Since the implant, he has been very restless."

Julia monitored her patient's vital signs. "His fever has dropped, which is a good sign, but we still have hours to wait. If you're okay, I have things I need to attend to in the lab."

"I'm fine. Bess will be relieving me soon."

The doctor nodded. The cyborg saw her eyes linger on the injured man's face. The angry red of first degree burns had been replaced by flaking patches of dead skin. The ordeal had left its mark. A gaunt, haunted look overlaid his handsome features.

"He's been through so much," she said sadly.

The last few days had taken a toll on the young woman, too, the tutor thought. Thin already, flesh seemed to have melted off her frame like wax before a flame. The pale blue eyes where glazed and sunken.

"So have you. Why don't you at least try to rest?"

"No time," she responded before exiting into the lab.

Julia got right to work. Adding a drop of Danziger and Walman's blood samples to each slide, she passed them under the lens of the microscope. Her eyes blurred as she attempted to study the images. She closed her eyes and felt instant relief. It was so tempting to give in to a much needed sleep.

Her gear buzzed. It was Baines reporting from the DuneRail. He was a few minutes outside of camp, returning from the shopping trip Julia had sent him on. She had given him a list of plants she needed to synthesize new medication. He had found some of what she needed.

The doctor rose wearily. Rest would have to wait.

By the time the doctor shed her over-gown, Baines had pulled the DuneRail as close as he dared to the isolation tent. The back was filled with an assortment of flora, most of which Julia had requested and some she had not. Her eyes were drawn to the bright red flowers on the floor.

"What's this?" she questioned, reaching for the bouquet.

The young black man looked embarrassed. "I picked them for Denner."

The doctor shot him a strange look.

"They were growing right by some other stuff you wanted, it wasn't like I went looking for them." He felt guilty about not finding everything she requested.

"You'd better let me check them first."

Julia ran her diaglove over the flowers, checking the molecular structure. Baines watched as surprise registered on her face. She pulled a hard, round seed capsule that was mixed in with the blossoms and scanned it again. Cutting into it, a milky latex leaked out.

"They're not poisonous or anything are they?"

"No. Were there more like this?"

"Yea, but I only picked the ones that were blooming. Why? Is this something you can use?"

"Yes. I want you to go back. Collect the ones that are exactly like this."

Bess came on the scene as the technician drove off. She bent to help Julia carry the botanical collection inside. Seeing the flowers in Julia's hand, she remarked, "They're pretty."

"They're much more than that. Do you have any idea what I have here?"

"No, we didn't have flowers in the mines." She fingered the necklace she wore. The pendant held a blossom encased in acrylic resin. "This is as close as I came. I was told this was one of the last wildflowers that grew on earth."

"You are looking at G889's version of Palaver somniferous."

Bess looked at the doctor blankly.

"An opium poppy." For the first time in days, Julia's voice held a spark of excitement.

Morgan's wife's eyes grew wide as she regarded the flower with new respect.

"Bess, this is a God-send. It's so hard to believe that of all the flowers out there, Baines just happened to pick the one that will produce the substance I need most - morphine. He didn't even pick them for medicinal reasons but as a surprise for Denner. I scanned them to be sure they were harmless."

"I find it hard to believe he's romantic enough to pick flowers," Bess remarked cynically.

"Romantic or not, if he comes back with a large enough supply to do Alonzo some good, I'll kiss him myself. In the meantime, let's get to work on what we have."

For the rest of the afternoon, Bess and Julia worked breaking down the plant life into useable compounds until Baines returned. Then Bess looked after Alonzo while Yale and Julia processed the chestnut-colored sticky opium mass of the seed capsules into the alkaloid morphine.

At one point, the tutor left the tent long enough to bring them back dinner. They took turns eating in the alcove. Overwhelmed by fatigue and illness, Julia toyed with the food on her plate.

"Julia, we have accomplished much today. I can finish what we have begun. Why don't you try to sleep?" the tutor asked.

"It will be time soon."

"Not for a few more hours. Enough time for you to take a much needed nap. I promise, I'll wake you as soon as it's time."

Surprisingly, she didn't argue. Yale helped her to cross the room and lie down. As the older man covered her, the young woman pulled the blanket tightly around herself to seal in the warmth. Within seconds, she was asleep.

Julia hugged the ragged coverlet as if it could offer some protection against the dreams that haunted her. Once more she was struggling to prevent Danziger from raising the Mag-Pro, only this time it wasn't Walman who pulled her away. With arms holding her tightly, it was her lover who whispered in her ear.

"Julia, let me go."

Startled, she looked up into Alonzo's burned face. In place of his beautiful brown eyes were empty socketless holes.

She screamed and he captured her against him.

"Julia!"

She sobbed burying her head against the solid mass of his chest.

"Noooo!.. I promised you."

"Shhh. It's all right. It was just a dream. I came to wake you. It's time."

The doctor looked up into deep brown eyes filled with concern. Yale held her gently.

Julia was so shaken from the vision, it took several moments for her to regain her composure and shed the nightmarish reality of the dream. "I'm sorry." Her hand trembled as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "It seemed so real."

"You're feverish. The dreams may be a form of delirium. Perhaps you should rest and let Bess and I do what needs to be done."

"No. It will take the three of us. I have to be sure it's all gone and Alonzo is out of danger before I can rest."

The tutor helped the young woman to her feet. After she readied herself, they drew aside the heavy plastic flap and entered the isolated chamber.

Julia noticed that, while she slept, Yale and Bess had readied the area. Large containers of sterilized water and dressings waited in close proximity to the cot. There were also disposal containers in strategic locations. The doctor bent over her patient and checked the diaglove readings.

"I've been giving him the dose you recommended," the tutor informed her. "It seems to be working. He's resting more comfortably."

"Alonzo? Can you hear me?"

A soft groan issued from the pilot's throat.

"I've been giving you medication to dull the pain. Some of your wounds are infected and I've inserted something into your body to remove the poison. Yale and Bess are here. They're going to help me remove it. Don't be alarmed by any strange sensations you may feel. I'll be monitoring your condition the whole time."

There was a slight nod of his head, as if he understood. Her eyes were drawn to the dressing around his eyes. A momentary flashback of the dream resurfaced until Bess' voice broke the spell.

"I'm ready when you are."

Julia forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand. Each of them would be required to focus on the removal. To miss a single bit of the organism would prove deadly since it was ready to begin the next stage of its development. The time was at hand for the parasite to begin to burrow deep into its host's flesh. There it would await transformation.

Julia gave last minute instructions to her assistants as she assessed their readiness. As the doctor readied her scalpel, their eyes meet briefly, as they offered each other support.

The flesh around the sealed wound stretched tautly against the mass that had ripened beneath it. Julia's cut spilt the thin skin, bursting it like a ripe fruit. Out spilled a profusion of sticky, transparent worms. They clumped together like small white grapes, having grown fat with the sustenance of Alonzo's poisoned body fluids. Robbed of their warm, moist home, the maggots wiggled and squirmed in desperation, crawling over each other in an attempt to reenter the safety of the wound.

Bess and Yale began scooping the larvae into pails, then flushing the area free of any hangers-on. Julia proceeded to the next wound, repeating the procedure over and over.

Wrapped in the soft, dark clouds of morphine, Alonzo was only vaguely aware of whispered voices. The pain was dulled, but he could still hear and feel the wet suction around his belly as something was removed from his living flesh. He laid helplessly vulnerable to a constantly evasive poking and pulling of the three sets of hands that worked on him.

The doctor surveyed the final wound to be cleaned. It was a long, jagged gash on the pilot's upper right thigh. The leg had swollen like an unnaturally colored balloon. Movement beneath the skin of hundreds of greedy maggots caused a slow rippling motion. Alonzo's skin twitched. Julia had seen the same response in Pegasus' hide as the horse reacted to the pestering stings and bites of insects. Julia saw the worms only as a torment now and she was anxious to end their affliction.

Her vision blurred as she focused on the pilot's deformed limb. Manipulating the diaglove caused a searing agony of pressure on the burned tissue of her hand. Julia steeled herself against the pain and cut into the swollen flesh. The wrinkled, tough skinned larvae burst forth, mixed in a froth of bloody fluid. The pilot groaned as she dug a gloved hand into the thick muscle and scooped the squirming mass into the stainless steel receptacle. The bowl soon became full, so she shoved it away and got another. In the discarded bowl, the agitated worms broke apart and crawled along the lip, seeking a return to warmth and safety.

Alonzo arched beneath Bess. When she heard him gasp, she looked to see what was causing his distress. Across from her, Yale was busy washing a wound with saline solution. Her gaze traveled down to the pilot's restrained leg. It flinched under Julia's diaglove.

"Julia?"

The doctor ignored the other woman. Bent close to the wound, she appeared to be working furiously at something.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

Morgan's wife left her position and came around beside the doctor. Bess laid a hand on the woman's shoulder and felt Julia jump, but the doctor remained concentrated on her task. Bess peered closer. The glove's laser was cutting into the pilot's quadricep.

"My God, what are you doing?"

"I can't get them out. They're burrowing into the rectus femoris."

Bess looked closer and saw nothing. Her eyes flashed back to the doctor's. Through the plastic hood, she saw a woman possessed. Julia's eyes, widely dilated in their sunken sockets, reflected some maniacal vision. Dark ringlets of sweat dampened hair lay against the unnatural set and paleness of her face.

"No! You're wrong. Julia, stop!"

Bess locked her arm around Julia's, forcing the doctor's arm down and breaking the contact of the diaglove on the injured man. When she attempted to pull Julia away, the doctor fought back. Locked together, they spun in a tight circle before Bess managed to trip her, then pin her to the ground.

"No..let me go...I have to get them out." Julia struggled against Bess, trying to free herself.

"Julia, you're hallucinating. There's nothing there."

Yale slipped up beside them, pushing aside Julia's hood enough to expose her neck. Bess heard the hiss of the sedaderm and saw the momentary confusion on Julia's face before she went limp.

"Whatever that was, it worked. Thanks." Bess breathed a sigh of relief.

"I made a small dose of sedative this afternoon from what Baines brought back. Julia was concentrating on the morphine. I thought I should be doing something."

"Alonzo!" Bess grabbed the cyborg's arm and they rushed to the pilot's side.

The tutor studied the damage. "She must have just started when you noticed something was wrong. It's not as bad as it could have been."

He pulled out a few vagrant worms. "Could this be what she saw? They are easily removed."

Bess looked back at the unconscious woman. "She's really sick, Yale. God knows what she thought she saw. I'll start on her as soon as we finish with Alonzo."

They carried the unconscious woman to the adjoining room and removed the heavy plastic gown and gloves. Leaving her deep in a drug induced sleep, they returned to clean and stabilize the pilot to the point where Yale was able to take over. Only then did Bess slip out to attend to Julia.

Julia's hands were covered in raw, open sores - all badly septic. Bess needed none of the doctor's fancy equipment to tell her the cause of the woman's high fever. Laying out a fresh supply of egg-speckled root beside her, she began her gruesome task of inserting the fly's larvae into the putrid flesh.

Julia tossed in delirious sleep, besieged by dreams. Bess covered her in cool compresses, hoping to draw away the rising heat within the sick woman. Her body's thermostat had been reset, using fever as a defense mechanism to destroy the multiplying bacteria. Unchecked, a steadily climbing temperature could cause brain damage and death. The larvae were hours away from hatching.

Julia felt the coolness on her skin. She stood on a high mesa, searching for Alonzo. The night wind was sweeping the soft sand of the desert floor, erasing the history of the day. Morning would find the earth a clean slate, as if nothing had gone before.

He stood at the edge of the cliff - tall and strong - looking toward the horizon, a dark silhouette, outlined by heat lightning flashing in the distance. She came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning against the soft skin of the jacket. His scent mixed in the smell of leather. She held on to the moment, memorizing every detail, knowing that joy was fleeting.

"I've been so afraid."

She embraced emptiness. Like a ghost, he was gone.

She gripped the empty jacket and cried out, "Don't leave me!"

Yale looked in. Bess was fighting a war of heat and cold. She looked up and answered his unspoken question.

"She must be reliving the time we left her. I'll be right back. I need more blankets."

Yale nodded, seeing that the doctor was racked by chills. Bess had wrapped Julia in a thin coverlet and added Alonzo's jacket for extra warmth.

Yale turned. The pilot had become tense. His head cocked sideways as he strained toward the sounds in the other room.

Morphine was like oil on a heaving sea, it coated and laid down waves of pain. The pilot drifted in its calming embrace. Julia's cry was like a stone skipping across the tranquil surface of this sea. It broke and sent a rippling effect through the barrier that dulled his senses. He searched for her again in darkness as he had months before, calling her name over and over. He was aware of her presence, could almost feel the physical touch of her need.

"Julia? Where are you? JULIA!!"

To Yale, it was a gagged scream of frustration. He ended it with another shot of morphine. The pilot felt the pressure and heard the hiss of hypo-spray. The effect was immediate. Like the solid force of a breaking wave, it swept over and engulfed him. His fragile link with Julia was broken. Her voice, begging him to stay, faded into silence.

--end Part 8--


	9. Chapter 9

Bess filled her lungs with the sweet smell of fresh air as she exited the tent and made for her own. She knew Morgan always stashed away an extra this or that. He'd be able to locate a spare blanket for her quickly. She was surprised to find him sitting morosely by the fire. He jumped to his feet when he saw her.

"Morgan, I need a few extra blankets."

"And, I need an explanation."

"An explanation about what?"

"An explanation about why you've decided to switch from being my wife to suddenly become Florence Nightingale? Why do you have to tend the sick? We already have a doctor to do that."

"Morgan, Julia's sick. She needed help. Besides, I was the only one who could show her how to use the flesh flies."

Morgan shuddered and threw his hands up, calling a halt to everything. "Don't! I don't want you to ever mention those....things again."

"Mention what? Maggots? Morgan, they're a part of nature."

"Bess, I fell in love with you because I saw you as a sweet, beautiful, delicate woman. I can't stand to think you would know about such things, much less...." He braced himself. "..much less, be an authority on such disgusting creatures. And then, you let me think you discovered a wonderful new drug. I was ready to name those things after us."

"Morgan, you were the one who insisted on that. Remember? You wanted witnesses to be sure no one stole it from us."

"You have to remind me!! You have no idea the slings and arrows I've been suffering."

"You're right, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, little snide remarks directed my way. Like, 'Your wife knows a lot about worms.' or 'There's a definite resemblance, you should name it after yourself.'"

His wife sighed. "Morgan, I have no time for this. If you don't know where I can find blankets, tell me. I'll look for them somewhere else."

"Bess, you know I'll move heaven and earth for you. You only need to ask."Morgan made an elaborate display out of turning and walking back to their tent. A few seconds after he entered, he came out and handed her a few blankets.

"Thank you."

"It's all right. I won't need them. You know I can't sleep without you," he said sadly.

"Morgan, I know I've been ignoring you, but things are worse then we knew. Alonzo is critical. Now, Julia is sick. I need to do what I can until Julia is well enough to find out what is suppressing their immune systems."

"I know. It's just this terrible waiting, not knowing what is happening...I want to be with you..to help...but my stomach doesn't like....well you know....and then my feet get afraid and it kind of works its way up. Bess, I miss you and I guess I'm feeling helpless...and lonely right now."

"Oh, Morgan." His wife threw her arms around him. "I miss you too. As soon as I can, I'll be back."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Thanks for finding the blankets."

She kissed him. He seemed a lost child without her at times, but that was part of why she loved him.

Danziger caught up with her as she returned to the medical tent. When he asked for an update, Bess was more than willing to answer any of his questions.

As he mulled over the information, she asked one of her own. "How are you? Julia was sure you'd be next."

"I'm fine. Tell her, I hope to prove her wrong. I think I'm beginning to heal. My hands are itching."

"No sign of infection?"

"Nope."

"Well, that's one thing to be thankful for."

"Bess, let me know if I can do anything to help. I know we can't go anywhere right now, but we can't stay here indefinitely either."

"I understand."

"Good." Danziger left her looking after him as he walked purposely away.

Bess looked from the mechanic to the hillside. She wondered, along with the rest of the crew, why the Terrians maintained their vigil over the camp. Since the mistake with geolock, both she and Morgan were uncomfortable with the creatures. They were too unforgiving to suit her. After all, anyone could make a mistake. Just look at how she had forgiven Julia for what she did to Morgan. Now, here she was helping her as if none of it had ever happened. The Terrians could learn a lot from our example, she told herself. Yale met her as she entered the tent.

"Is something wrong?" Morgan's wife looked in alarm from Julia toward the room which held Alonzo.

"Right after you left, Julia cried out again. Alonzo became very restless. I think he knew something was wrong."

"Did you tell him anything?"

"No, I didn't think that would be wise. He's under enough stress. I gave him more morphine. Enough to last until Julia wakes up, I think."

Together, they waited as the hours passed. Yale assisted Bess when the time came to clean the doctor's hand. Julia never moved during the whole procedure. Later, as they sat beside their charges, they both nodded with exhaustion.

Julia woke in the dim light of dawn. What time was it? How long had she slept? Sitting up too quickly, the room tilted, shadows spun wildly. She groaned, closing her eyes against a sudden vertigo and gripped the side of the cot. It took a moment for her to realize that, while stiff and sore, her hands no longer held the fire of the previous day.

"Julia, you'll be fine. Just take it slow. Okay?" Bess's voice penetrated the darkness and the other woman's hands were on her shoulders, easing her back down.

"How long.....?" The doctor tried to swallow. Her throat felt like the SandRail had driven through it.

"How about some water? I bet that would taste good."

Julia felt Bess's arm slide under her for support. The hard surface of the cup touched her mouth. She gulped the cool liquid greedily, ignoring the sting of cracked lips. Her body seemed to absorb the water as quickly as she drank, her thirst unquenchable.

"Easy, easy."

Julia relented only after she drained the cup. The doctor fell back panting, realizing she had forgotten to breathe.

"Alonzo...is he all right? What about Walman...Danziger...?

"Alonzo is still out. Yale has been giving him the dose you recommended. I haven't seen Walman but Danziger's hands are healing fine. There is no sign of infection."

"That's not possible."

"It's not only possible, it's true. I saw it myself."

Julia was so quiet, Bess thought she had fallen back to sleep. Finally, she said. "Help me up. I never checked the slides from yesterday. I have to do a comparison. I can't believe I've been so blind, Bess. It's been there all along and the Terrians.. they tried to tell me but I didn't understand.."

"Julia, you're starting to sound a little crazy. Why don't you lie back and rest awhile. The slides aren't going anywhere."

"No, I can't afford to waste any more time. The three of us will get sick again but, if what you say is true, then somewhere in Danziger's physiology lies the key. His body has beaten the toxin. I have to run tests, analyze the results to find out what it is and how it works."

"Yale! Will you give me a hand, please." Bess called out.

Julia took new blood samples from Danziger and Walman. She retrieved the koba claw and ran cultures. By the end of the day, she was confident enough to share the results with the others. She talked to Walman and Danziger over gear as Bess and Yale stood by.

"I'll simplify it by saying that the death-like state caused by the koba's venom also killed the plant's toxin. That's why your burns did not become infected like ours, John."

"You're sure."

"If you're asking if I'm sure to my hypothesis, the answer is yes. Test results have confirmed it."

Danziger looked over at Walman. "Looks like you get stuck after all."

"Hey, if you're sure it works, I'll be the first volunteer, Doc." Under his breath, he said to Danziger, "I don't think I could take another of Bess' cures."

"Julia, what's the possibility of all of you taking the injection so everyone wakes up around the same time. We need to get moving."

"It's not that simple." Julia beat back a rising anger. "Alonzo is in critical condition. He been receiving injections of a potent analgesic and narcotic drug for pain. The added stress of koba venom causing a total shutdown could kill him."

Danziger sighed. "Look, there's a reason why we can't stay here. I didn't want add more worry on top of everything you have to deal with, but Baines found tracks. The two that attacked Alonzo might have been part of a larger band. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

The mechanic saw the doctor doing some mental calculations.

"What's your best guess on how long it will be before you can give Alonzo the shot?"

"I need 24 hrs to clear most of the drug from his system. He'll suffer some withdrawal, plus the pain of his wounds. He'll have to be monitored closely."

"No chance of you taking the injection with Walman and letting Yale watch Alonzo?"

"Absolutely not!" Julia jumped up and began to pace. "Look, the best I can do is this; after I inject Alonzo with the venom, there will be nothing more I can do. Then and only then will I inject myself. I should recover before he does, so I'll be able to ease his transition back."

"So how much time are we talking?"

"I'll inject Walman shortly. In twenty-four hours, he should recover. In that same period of time, I hope to wean Alonzo off the morphine. If everything goes according to plan, then I'll inject Alonzo and myself. We should be down for the same period of time - total of forty-eight hours, give or take a few."

"And after that? Can he travel?" Danziger saw a strange look in Julia's eyes. "Julia?"

"I can't say. I'm not even sure he'll make it, but I have no other option. The koba venom at least gives him a chance.

Julia signed off and prepared the injection for Walman.

"Bess, I wonder if I can ask you to--"

"Watch over Walman till he recovers? Sure. I was about to volunteer. Morgan's feeling lonely and neglected, but I'm sure he won't mind watching Walman as long as we can be together."

"Bess, I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate all you have done. Please tell Morgan, I'll make sure you get credit in the medical log for the...what did you decided to call them again?"

Bess laughed. "This may be the one time that Morgan ever passed on receiving credit for anything. As for a name...just call them Bess' Medical Miracle Maggots."

For the first time in days, Julia returned her smile.

Later that night, as Bess and Morgan made up for lost time while Walman slept, Julia hovered over Alonzo. She had sent Yale off for some much needed rest, assuring him she would call him if Alonzo proved too much for her to handle.

The twin moons of G889 were somewhere on the other side of the planet. A sparkling array of diamond stars splattered a night sky the color of black velvet. Oblivious to the dazzling display above her, Julia worked in the halo of warm light cast by the lantern. She prepared the decreasing doses of morphine she would give Alonzo over the following hours.

"Alonzo?"

The pilot's head turned in her direction. She saw his bound hand open and reach out. The drug was wearing off. He would be looking for another dose to combat the rising level of pain. She wanted him to know of her plan while he was coherent enough to understand what was going to happen. She began to explain about the toxin, how it was necessary that they use the koba venom to eradicate it from their systems.

"Danziger is healing. Walman's immune system should kick in as soon as he wakes. As soon as I'm sure Walman is stable, I'll inject you and then myself. I expect to be here when you recover but I want you to know that, due to the severity of your wounds, there are risks. Do you understand?"

He nodded and tried to speak. The tube interfered. Julia detected frustration.

"I can remove the tube but only for a little while. Do you still want it out?"

He nodded yes again.

He tried not to flinch as the unyielding, hard plastic hosing passed over the delicate, inflamed tissue in his nose and throat. When it was free, he tried to ask for water but the sound was garbled. Julia's arm passed under his shoulders, supporting him as she helped him to drink. He felt every bit of the water's tortuous journey. He hoped the exchange would bring back his voice. There were things he needed to say, questions he needed answers to.

After resting a bit, he tried again. "Jul...need..."

"I know you need another dose of morphine, I want you to understand it will not have the effect you are used to..."

"Nooo...release me."

"The restraints?"

He felt the bonds loosen and he managed to catch her gloved hand in his. She tensed for just a second then became passive under his grip.

"Stay..."

"Yes, I'll be with you from now on. I promise. I'll be beside you when I take my injection. Your face will be the last and first thing I see." She brushed his hair with her free hand.

"Want..to see...you, too."

"I know." She bit her lip. "It's too soon yet. Because of the toxin, there has been no healing. Your corneas have been irritated remember? Your eyes need to heal and that won't happen right away. It will take a few days."

"Dream..."

"You had a dream, a Terrian dream?"

He swallowed and half nodded. He wanted to tell her about the dream, but the pain was gaining on him. Without meaning to, he groaned against a sudden spike.

Julia waited. She saw him grimace, his features twisting. The doctor pressed  
the nozzle against the pilot's skin. "This will help. I'll be right here if you need me, fly-boy"

The spray brought instant relief. Alonzo drifted. He guided the shuttle toward the landing, gliding softly into New Pacifica. O'Neill would know he was as good as his reputation now. He looked to his right. In his mind's eye, it was Julia he saw, not O'Neill. She placed the diagnostic glove on the back of his neck and checked the readouts.

"Your reputation precedes you." An echo from the past.

What should he say to breach the wall between them?

"I don't have one."

"You don't have what?" Julia's was aware that the morphine might be talking. Above the bandages on his eyes, the pilot's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Don't know. Think I went for a ride...wiped out."

"Yes, you did but you're going to be all right. I'm going to take care of you until you're well again."

"I know..you're the best doctor around.....I checked." A ghost of a smile touched his lips as Alonzo fell into a dreamless sleep.

Julia swallowed a rising lump. How long ago had he told her that? Time was a scrapbook of memories, full of the richness of friendships lost along the way.

Julia found herself thinking about the ultimate gamble that took them across the universe. Devon's incredible optimism. Her determination to save her son and a generation of sick children. She had led her people to the promised land only to be denied a glimpse of seeing her hope fulfilled.

Her legacy had been passed to Danziger. For the mechanic, a lengthy trip out of debt had turned into the unwanted responsibility of Devon's child and the success of her mission. John had no desire to be their leader, but he would honor Devon's trust to the end.

Alonzo moaned, bringing her thoughts back to the present. Had she brought him to this somehow? Their relationship had been stormy and had come about despite her initial resistance. She hadn't lied when she told him he frightened her. He was like some great magnetic force, drawing her into oblivion.

Alonzo, the sleep-jumper -- the man who refused to claim or be claimed by anyone or anything. He lived for the future, the unknown.

"You know the best thing about jockeying 'cross the universe?" he had asked her. "The future. Getting to wake up and be there. It was never the destination I looked forward to. It was the passage of time."

She hadn't understood. She loved a man she didn't understand and that frightened her. The doctor, the brilliant physician who understood how every atom and molecule were related in the great scheme of life.

Then again, he never understood her desire for order, the need to follow what was safe and sensible, to have a carefully thought-out plan.

"What's the use of making plans when you have no idea what to expect?"

"We can't just blunder forward with no preparation.."

"Why not? Take a lesson from the Terrians: Let nature take its course."

His voice startled her. "Julia?"

"I'm right here."

"Pain's bad...need something."

"It's not time yet. Try to hold on a while longer."

"It's time..don't torture me."

She tried to explain again why the drug had to be reduced.

He didn't answer her, couldn't really hear what she said over the thousands of screaming nerve-endings.

"Alonzo?"

"Please! Why won't you give it to me? Is it because I wasn't suppose to land? I'm not suppose to be here, am I?"

Julia's answer was silent, to herself. 'No, you're here because of me. Because of the fight we had.'

"Oh God...it hurts." Shaking and sobbing, he began to curl, trying to protect himself from the pain.

Julia held him back. "No! Alonzo, I'm going to have put you back in restraints."

"No!" He raised his arm against her "Why are doing this to me? I can't see! I can't see you." His hand moved toward his eyes.

She gave him another shot of the drug before he could pull the bandages from his eyes. She waited. Gradually, he relaxed into a semi-sleep. She straightened, then lightly wrapped the restraining belts around his limbs, tightening them gradually. After this dose of the drug wore off, his next reaction would be worse.

It came in the early hours of the morning, the scream that had them sitting up in their beds, full of the agony and terror that drives men mad.

Yale was up, almost ready to check in on Julia. He arrived breathless, without his coat. He found the doctor standing beside the pilot, Alonzo straining against the bed straps.

Julia looked up at the tutor. "This can't go on. I'm ready to put him down -- give him the venom."

"If you think it's safe."

"I don't know if it's safe no matter how long I wait. Some doctor, huh?"

"You're doing the best you can. Don't be too hard on yourself, Julia."

Yale saw she had arranged everything. Her cot was close beside his. The capsule containing the clear venom, loaded in the hypo-spray in her hand. She seemed to lack the will to take the final step.

"Would you rather have me do it?"

Her eyes became distant. "No. The responsibility is mine. It's just that...." She never finished her thought, instead she leaned forward and emptied the spray into the pilot's arm.

Alonzo stiffened, then crumpled against her arm. She saw the color drain from his face as it took on a death-like pallor. Fear seized Julia by the throat. She was suddenly weak as if struck by a mortal blow. Yale looked from the pilot to the doctor. He saw her hand tremble as she reached to check the pilot's vital signs.

Julia closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe. 'Proceed with your carefully laid out plan,' she told herself. When she opened them, it was to settle herself on the cot beside Alonzo, load the hypo-spray and press it against her arm.

"Julia, wait!" Yale hurried to her side. "Is there anything else? Anything we should know?"

She looked up at him and shook her head sadly. In 24 hours they would have their answer. She pressed the trigger and felt the initial sting erupt into a spreading neuroparalysis. The scientist in her marveled at its awesome power even as the woman was swept away.

Yale sat on the cot beside her. Covering their seemingly lifeless bodies seemed a vain, worthless gesture. Neither she or Alonzo could feel heat or cold. The tutor felt like a player in the final act of a Shakespearean tragedy.

Around him lay the doomed lovers.

--end Part 9--


	10. Chapter 10

The first uncertain light of dawn found Baines bursting into Danziger's tent.

"They're gone!"

Danziger rolled over and, propping himself up on his elbow, looked at the crewman blankly. He ran his hand across his face, trying to wipe away heavy fatigue. It took a moment before his brain snapped into gear. "Who's gone?"

"The Terrians, man. As soon as it started to get light, I looked up at the ridge expecting to see them there, but they're gone."

Danziger rose slowly, flexing like a big golden cat. Halfway through, he stopped to rest his hand on the small of his back. "I must be getting old. Parts of me don't wake up with the rest." He waved Baines ahead of him. "Okay, show me."

Outside, the morning was taking on a sharper definition. The first rays of the sun had lit the higher ridge while the lower positioned camp still slumbered in shadow.

"Shut the perimeter alert off. I want to go up and take a look."

Baines did as instructed. His Mag-Pro armed and ready, he watched from below as Danziger climbed the hill that overlooked the camp. Baines noticed that once Danziger reached the crest, he leaned over and seemed to be studying something in the dirt.

"Baines are you reading me?"

"Yea, got you loud and clear."

"Looks like the Terrians have been gone for a while."

"How do you know that?"

"There're little mounds of dirt where they must have reentered the earth."

"So?"

"So, there are tracks on top of the mounds....human tracks. Maybe 4 or 5 different boot or shoe prints."

"Shank! Penal colonists? What do you think they were doing up there?"

"I'll give you one guess. If they're anything like the other two we ran into, they're licking their chops. We're one big gravy train, my friend. Put the alarm back on until I get back. From now on it stays on day and night. Nobody leaves camp 'til we all do." With one more glance around, knowing he was probably being watched, Danziger made a cautious retreat.

ooo

The first thing Julia was aware of was Bess Martin's aggravated voice.

"......know how long it's been. I've been here most of the time." She was quiet for second before going on. "Yale just checked them about 15 minutes ago. There's no change."

There was a break. Julia realized she was only hearing one side of the conversation, so Bess must be talking to someone on gear. It became apparent who with her next words.

"John, Julia was giving an estimate. I'm sure twenty-four hours wasn't meant to be taken as exactly twenty-four hours." There was a heavy sigh. "Yale, he wants you to check again."

Julia heard Yale's approach and after a few minutes his heavy voice.

"Alonzo is the same. No vital signs, no brain activity."

Julia waited anxiously for Yale to notice the change in her readouts, if only to validate that she was alive. The fact that her brain was working while nothing else seemed to be was disconcerting.

Finally, after what seemed an extended silence, his voice rose excitedly. "I'm getting a reading of brain activity from Julia. I think she may be coming around."

'How long have I been out?' Julia wondered. She made a real effort to open her eyes. Her lids fluttered briefly with effort. Yale's face, pressing close to her own, appeared out of focus.

"Yes, yes! She just opened her eyes." The old tutor sounded like a proud father.

"John, Julia is showing signs of waking, but it will be a while before she's back to normal. I'll let you know as soon as she's able to talk."

'Don't count on a long recovery, Bess. I'm a lousy patient,' Julia told her silently.

Within an hour, the doctor was sitting up and getting answers. She had been out for a total of twenty-seven hours, forty-nine minutes. Alonzo still showed no signs of life. Walman had recovered in just under twenty-five hours. His immune system was recovering swiftly, so it appeared Julia's theory was correct. Danziger had been pestering Yale constantly for updates on both of their conditions. He had the camp on full alert since the Terrians had disappeared and tracks, possibly from penal colonists, had been found close by.

Bess noticed, as she filled the doctor in, that Julia never took her eyes away from Alonzo for long. At times, her gaze was so intense, it seemed she was trying to will him to move in some way. Finally, Bess tried to reassure her.

"I'm sure he'll be coming around soon."

For a second, Morgan's wife saw the shadow of uncertainty pass over the other woman's face. There was a glimpse of agony over a possible wrong decision before Julia covered it with a tight smile.

The gear buzzed and Bess took it with a wink at Julia. Somehow, she would stall Danziger. As Bess walked out of the room, Julia stood on rubbery legs and took her first steps to the pilot's side.

She leaned close to him. Brushing his cold lips with her own, lightly touching the unblemished areas of his face, she whispered in his ear, "Alonzo? Listen to me. You have to come back. Don't make me live the rest of my life wondering if I did the wrong thing; that there might have been another way. Don't leave me this way."

In her heart, Julia made a promise. If he recovered, she would not influence Alonzo's decisions ever again. When the ship returned to the stations, he would be free to go. She would not ask him to stay.

"Julia, are you all right?" Yale asked behind her.

Julia took a second to compose herself. "I'll be fine. I wish I could say the same for Alonzo."

"Your recovery period was longer then expected, wouldn't it make sense that his might be also?"

"There are so many variables. I tried to account for the differences: height, weight, body mass, his injuries, and the remnants of the drugs still in his system. I don't know, Yale, I just don't know."

There was an air of desperate despair about the young doctor. Yale came forward and placed his hands on the young doctor's shoulders, trying to comfort her.

"Julia, only a few hours ago, Bess and I sat here watching and worrying over you. What would we do if Alonzo woke before you or what would we do if you didn't wake up? I think sometimes we torture ourselves unnecessarily. We try to prepare for the worst possible outcome instead of focusing on the reality of the present. The reality is that you, Danziger and Walman all recovered. Alonzo will, too."

She gave him a half-hearted nod.

"Come. You should still be resting. Recover your strength."

"I can't, Yale. I'm sorry but I need to monitor his condition - come up with an alternative in case he doesn't revive on his own."

The older man shook his head in understanding. "Let me know what I can do to help."

"Right now, I need to speak with Danziger. I would appreciate your support when I tell him Alonzo cannot be moved."

If Yale's support meant anything, he never had time to voice it. After Julia took over the gear from Bess, the conversation between the doctor and the mechanic had grown heated.

"Julia, I don't think you realize the danger in staying here. The longer we delay, the greater the chance of attack. We're being watched."

"You're basing that assumption on a few footprints in the dirt. The real danger lies in moving Alonzo. He needs a sterile environment. I think Bess and Yale would agree with me." She looked up at the others for approval.

"I'm basing that assumption on years in the army field training. As for Alonzo, I'm sure I could rig something in the back of the TransRover."

"I'm not doubting your skill, but what you're suggesting is not feasible. The TransRover throws up too much dirt. There would be a greater risk of infection. I can't take that chance."

"And I can't take the chance of risking everyone else's life. Devon put me in charge of getting everyone to New Pacifica."

"Which includes Alonzo."

He ignored her. "Once we get going, the vehicles can outdistance anyone trying to follow us. We'll stick to open, flat areas - that way we'll be able to detect anyone coming. Here, the enemy has the high ground and I'm not comfortable with that."

"We must stay here until Alonzo is able to travel."

'God, she's a stubborn woman,' Danziger thought.

"Just for the sake of argument, how long before he can travel?

"I don't know! Once he wakes up, I have to stabilize him. His body needs time to heal."

"A few days?"

"A week, at least."

"No way. And before you take my head off, we'll run out of food and water by then. I'm not going to risk anyone's life by sending them out to collect it either.." Danziger bit back his anger. "I need you to work with me, Julia."

"No, you want me to agree with you."

"I figure I can put something together in a day or so," he said, ignoring her comment. "I'll keep in mind what you said about keeping the area sterile."

"So that's it? You've made up your mind and nothing I say means anything?"

Angrily, he shot back, "No, that's not it. I listened to what you said and then I made up my mind."

"What about a vote? On major issues that affected the group, Devon always let us vote. You were the one who insisted it was the only fair way." Julia was growing desperate.

"Fine. I think you'll see, once we run out of food and water, they'll vote with me."

For Danziger and Julia, fear wore a different face, but they each met it with the same fierce determination.

Julia glared at the mechanic and cut the transmission. Danziger sighed, feeling like the bad guy the same way he always felt when he punished True. He hoped he hadn't made a mistake in giving Julia a few days. Something was going to happen, he could feel it in his old soldier's bones. It was up to him to be ready when it did.

Julia was furious as she pulled away the gear's eye piece. It didn't help to see Bess smiling at her. Before she could redirect her anger, Morgan's wife spoke up.

"Julia, it's Alonzo. He's waking up."

"What? Are you sure?" Julia grabbed her glove

"While you were on gear, I heard a noise and went in to check on him."

Julia passed the glove over the pilot while Bess and Yale looked over her shoulder at the readings.

"Pulse and BP are rising. He's recovering quickly," the old cyborg commented.

"Maybe too quickly. It could be due to increasing pain. I'm going to slow things down a bit with medication."

Julia injected the pilot with the hypo-spray, then watched as the readings fell off. They began to rise again slowly until they stabilized in a normal range.

"Alonzo, I know you can hear me. I've given you some medication to help the pain. Is it working?"

"Hmmm."

"Is that a yes or no?"

"Hurts."

"What hurts? Can you be more specific?"

"Everything."

"All right, I'll increase the dosage."

"Can't see."

"There are still bandages covering your eyes as a precaution. I want to leave them for a day or so. Relax, you're not going anywhere for awhile, Fly-boy."

Bess shot Julia a look and wondered what Danziger would say if he heard that.

Alonzo waited anxiously for the drug to take effect. Not only would it relieve the physical agony, it would force back the demons that crept about in the dark corners of his mind. A lifetime of fears, tucked away, waiting for the time when he was, once again, helplessly locked in darkness.

His first cold sleep had ended five days early. He woke up, half frozen, locked in the capsule, a coffin. He never dreamt again. It was his love of flying that proved the stronger, helping him overcome the terror of that experience, but the fear was always there. With every mission, came the shadow. Every time he crawled into a capsule, the demon climbed in with him.

Now, there was a new demon - the last face he saw before that thing began to devour him. With nothing else to focus on, the memory of that face and those moments up to when Julia and the others had pulled him free, probably more dead than alive, replayed over and over in his mind. Other than the severity of the pain, he had no idea of the extent of his injuries - the damage that was done. He remembered voices full of concern and worry. Just now, Julia's voice, muffled and distant. Angry.

Worst of all was the vulnerability, the helplessness, the blindness, as unseen hands, poked and explored his body, unaware of the pain and humiliation he felt. Alonzo began to look forward to the hiss of the hypo-spray, to losing himself in the soft mist of oblivion, but in the hours that followed this awaking, Julia was to become the new tormentor.

The doctor pulled him out of the depths, pushing and prodding his tortured limbs, trying to mold him back into some semblance of the man he was. He begged her to stop, to let him go. Dying would be a blessed relief to the hell of living but she continued to force her will upon him.

Julia pushed the pilot as hard as she dared, doing only what was necessary to prevent a deadly build up of fluids. Between sessions, she worked on creating a healing salve which she applied regularly to his skin to give it flexibility during the therapy. Over the next day, she began to feel pleased with the progress they were making. One sign of her patient's improving condition began to show itself in the form of increasing complaints and protests.

Alonzo bit his lip against the pain as she flexed his legs and arms back and forth. "Stop! Don't you know what that's doing to me?"

She explained why it was necessary, using a lot of medical terminology he didn't understand.

Full of frustration he lashed out, "Remind me to let you win all our arguments in the future."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, your revenge is too painful."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Who's joking?"

"Alonzo, I'm just trying to get you better. This has nothing to do with revenge."

"Right. You chromo-tilts are above such emotions."

She ignored him and finished the therapy. "That's it for now. You have a few hours before I come back to torture you again."

"Very funny."

"Who's joking?"

He was covered in a sheen of sweat. The doctor knew his irritability was a result of constant pain. She dabbed his face gently with a cloth to remove the moisture.

"I must be messed up pretty bad if you want to keep me in the dark."

She looked at him, puzzled for a second. "You mean your eyes? I told you it was just a precaution. If you insist, I can take it off. I'd prefer you left it on since you don't need your eyes for anything right now."

"I'd feel better if I could see - know what's happening."

"Well, there's not much happening, but okay. Let me get rid of this stuff and I'll be back to remove the bandages. I'm warning you, your vision maybe blurry for a while."

"But it will clear up, right?"

"Yes, with time."

"I just want to see again. The last thing I saw was that convict's face leering at me. He knew what was going to happen to me - how I was going to die. The vine wrapped around my eyes, shutting off everything. I can't get it out of my mind."

"I know, I know." She spoke quietly.

"Julia?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it."

"It's only natural when someone is hurting you to want to hurt back. Don't worry about it. Doctors are trained to develop thick skins. Relax now. I'll be back in a few moments."

Julia regarded Alonzo with concern. The mental damage could be worse than the physical. She wasn't a psychiatrist. How could she treat what could not be seen? Distracted as she entered the other room, she didn't notice Bess until the other woman asked a question.

"How is he?"

"Alonzo? He's healing more quickly than I expected. Bess, when you worked with larval therapy on Earth, did they produce allatonin or any other broad-spectrum antibacterial agents that you were aware of?"

"Huh? Want to run that by me again, in a language I'll understand?"

Julia smiled. "Sorry. You seem to know so much about them, I guess I was--"

"Talking to me like an equal. Not even close. It's just a little down-home folk medicine. On Earth, we had very little. We learned to make do with what was available."

"I'm very thankful you did. What I meant was, the larvae seem to not only enhance healing by physical irritation, they also produce enzymes that help to macerate the tissue and a chemical by-product, ammonium carbonate, that may actually promote healing. It's the only explanation I can come up with for the accelerated tissue regeneration. "

"That's good. Right?"

"Yes, it's very good. It's just the clinical importance of these antimicrobial agents should be investigated."

"Something to do in your spare time," Bess suggested.

Julia laughed. "Like I have any. Seriously Bess, between this and the antitoxin found in koba venom, there's so much potential. I feel more confident than ever about Alonzo's chances. Who knows, I might even find a cure for the virus that affected Devon out of all this."

"That would be wonderful. It seemed so unfair, after all she did to save her son, to end up never having the chance to see him grow up."

"Well, don't say anything to anyone. It's still a long shot. I wouldn't want to get anyone's hopes up just yet. Besides, I have my hands full right now with Alonzo. I'm going to remove the bandages from his eyes now."

"Need any help?"

"No. I think he's feeling vulnerable right now and might not appreciate an audience."

"No problem. I'll take a break and go find Morgan. If you need me, just call."

"Thanks." Julia gathered saline solution and a yellow ointment she would use to soothe and moisten the pilot's eyes. While it might blur his vision, it would also keep out any infection.

"Are you ready?" She asked as she entered and saw his head turn toward her.

"Maybe you should tell me what I should expect to see."

"Your legs and pelvic area have the worst damage. Second degree burns along with cuts and abrasions caused, most probably, by being dragged across rough ground. From your waist up, you have first degree burns. Something like a bad sunburn. You also have a nasty head wound, which produced a hairline fracture of the skull. Nothing that won't heal over time, providing you have enough rest, care and treatment."

"Will there be scars?"

"Some. Nothing very noticeable. You're still impressive for someone who's a hundred and ten years old."

"Are you flirting with me, Doc?"

She smiled despite herself. "You're going to have to stay out of the sun for a while. I'll make up some heavy duty UV protection for you to use. Also, wear your sunglasses from sunrise to sunset until I'm sure there is no lasting damage. But we're getting way ahead of ourselves here. You have a long way to go until then. You're still in serious condition."

"I only have to move to remember. Sometimes the pain gets so bad, I don't want to live. It doesn't seem worth the effort."

"It will get better in time. You have to hang in there."

"I told myself, if I didn't make it, I can't complain. I've had a good ride up to this point. No real regrets."

"Alonzo, you can't expect life to always be a good ride. There are highs and lows. Sometimes it's a constant battle just to stay even. Have you ever experienced serious illness?"

"I was never around long enough to pick up even a cold. I guess the worst thing that ever happened to me, happened here when I broke my leg."

"Overcoming something like this will take more time and effort than your leg required."

"Thanks for the good news."

"Truth can be a bitter pill." She looked at Alonzo, gauging his mood, wondering if she could get him to open up more. It would be better if the pilot talked about the experience rather than keeping the emotions bottled up inside him. "You know I always felt that sleep-jumping was a way to avoid looking at your own mortality. You found a way of putting off growing old and eventually death."

"You're beginning to sound like Lydia."

"Lydia?"

"Someone I used to know."

"One of those girls in every port?" Julia tried to picture Lydia. She wondered what type of women he found attractive. The doctor found herself wondering if the handsome pilot would have given her a second look back on the stations if they had met by chance.

Alonzo seemed lost in thought. Finally, he spoke to Julia from the distant place of his memory. "Garsonia Station. She wasn't like that. We talked about life, growing old, and all. I felt I understood her then. Now, I'm not so sure. I was never good about the growing old part. It wasn't that I was afraid to die. Every time you go off on a cold sleep mission there's a possibility you won't wake up. It's about what you lose along the way to growing old. I always wanted to have control. It's what I like about being a pilot."

"She must have been very special. Was it hard to leave her?" Julia didn't intend to sound jealous, she just needed to know for some reason.

"It was a long time ago."

He said this as if it explained everything. Still, there was a note of sadness in the pilot's voice, as if the memory was still new. Of course, to him it would be. Alonzo jumped decades at a time, leaving Lydia behind to grow old. When he woke, his yesterday could be before Julia's lifetime. It was too disorienting to think about, so she concentrated on her task. She dimmed the light to protect his eyes and cut into the bandages.

"I want you to open your eyes slowly. Give them chance to adjust to the light."

He did as she instructed, blinking rapidly. Julia watched as Alonzo's face changed. His hand shook violently as he reached to touch his eyes. The doctor grabbed hold of him.

"Alonzo? What is it? What's wrong?"

"I can't see. I can't see anything, Julia! Why can't I see?"

"What?" She did a hurried scan, detecting no problem. "I don't understand. There's no damage. No reason for this."

"I'm blind." He said the words, not believing them, the shock draining him completely.

The doctor checked and rechecked each eye for damage. She was baffled. More than that, she needed to offer the pilot some hope to cling to. "Alonzo, listen to me. This could be a temporary condition. Maybe it has something to do with your head wound. I need to do more tests to be sure. I want to wrap your eyes again."

"Tests? What good are tests? Did all your tests let you know this was going to happen? Did they tell you I could be blind?"

"I'm not sure you are. It's too soon to tell."

"Well, it's not too soon for me to tell." He raised his hand, blocking her efforts to bandage his eyes. "Please, just leave me alone."

"Being uncooperative is not going to help"

He turned away from her, groaning with the effort.

"All right. We don't have to talk but I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm not giving up and you shouldn't either."

Julia's gear buzzed. Not now, she cursed silently. It buzzed again more insistently. She threw a longing look in the pilot's direction and ducked out of his room, preferring to take the call privately.

"Yes."

Danziger's face greeted her. "I have everything ready for Alonzo. I was wondering if you want to take a look?"

"This isn't a good time. There's been a bit of a set-back."

"What kind of set-back?" He sounded suspicious.

"Alonzo. I just removed the bandages from his eyes. He can't see. There's a chance he may be blind."

"Blind? Both eyes?"

"Yes."

"Permanently?"

"That's just it. I can't find any damage that would cause blindness, permanent or temporary."

"I don't understand. What's causing it then?

"There are a number of possibilities. His head injury, something in the plant's enzyme that seeped into his eyes, the medications I made using plants that are similar to Earth's but could possibly produce different side- effects. I injected him with koba venom when he was in critical condition. It could be any one or even a combination of these reasons."

"Can you do tests or something to find out which it is?"

"Yes, tests can rule out the likelihood of some of them." She hesitated. "There's one other. The cause may be psychosomatic."

"He's imagining it? That's crazy."

"No, it's not. Not when you think about what he's been through. It's been known to happen with post-traumatic shock."

"If that's the case, can't you just tell him? Snap him out of it."

"It's not that easy. Alonzo only knows he can't see. To him this means he is blind. Telling him it's all in his mind may make it harder for him to accept."

"So what do we do?"

"Run tests, rule out what I can, work on what is left. If I can find no physical cause for the condition, I'll suggest it to him as a possible reason."

"Which means we can't leave tomorrow?"

"Give me another day. I need to find the answer to this right away. I can't do that if I have to pack everything up."

"I just hope I have another day to give you."

"Why? Have there been any signs of penal colonists?"

"None that I can point to with any certainty. I'll double the guard tonight and hope the perimeter alert will give us enough of an advanced warning."

"Is that a yes then? I can have another day?"

"One more day. At first light, day after tomorrow we roll out of here."

--end Part 10--


	11. Chapter 11

All the tests Julia ran were inconclusive, giving her no real clue about the cause of the pilot's lost sight. The young doctor approached her patient wondering how to break the news that his blindness might be self- induced.

"Alonzo. I've run a whole series of tests trying to come up with a reason for what has happened. I afraid some answers will come only with time. If it's a side-effect due to medication, there should be a gradual improvement when your system is clear of drugs. There is one other thing I want you to consider."

"What's that?"

"It's possible what you are experiencing is a symptom of post traumatic stress."

"What does that mean?"

She explained the condition to him.

"So you're saying it's all in my mind. I only think I'm blind. That's crazy."

"Anyone who went through what you did couldn't help but be traumatized. Aside from your body, your psyche has been wounded. It might be trying to find a way to protect itself."

"Great. My psyche protects itself by leaving me helpless. And just how am I supposed to protect myself in the meantime?"

"You need to be patient. Give your mind a chance to accept this as a possible reason."

"Okay, I accept it. I'm waiting. Nothing's happening."

"It doesn't happen that fast."

"When? When does it happen? How long do I have to wait?"

"I can't tell you. No one has ever gone through what you have. Besides, it would affect each individual differently."

"I'm sure it's all very interesting to you. Your own private case study. Forgive me doctor if I'm not buying into it. You know what I really believe? That you don't know everything. The things that happen on this planet are beyond anything you ever learned from medical books. All these reasons -- you're guessing, Julia. Admit it."

"What I'm suggesting is based on fact. Every human being follows predictable emotional responses in dealing with a loss. A set pattern of feelings: denial, anger, guilt, acceptance... You've experienced a loss."

"Spare me. I'm not interested."

"You're angry which means you've moved past denial."

He laughed ruefully. "Denial didn't seem to work somehow."

"Neither will anger but you need to experience and work through it."

"So you're saying when I get past all these different emotions and get to the point where I accept the fact that I'm blind, I'll get my sight back?"

"I don't know for sure if it is PTS, but if it is, you would need to accept that you're own mind might be causing the problem, that it was so traumatized, it might shut down what it can't deal with. I'm just mentioning it because it's one of several possibilities I think you should consider. In the meantime, I'll keep looking for an answer and we'll continue to work on healing your physical wounds."

He jumped when she touched him.

"Let me know when you going to touch me, all right?"

"Sorry. I'm going to put a new ointment on your burns. After that, we'll try to increase your range of motion."

"Wonderful. I guess I have to learn to accept that, too."

"If you want to get better, I'm afraid so."

She worked with him, then let him rest until dinner. Feeding him proved to be an ordeal. After a few mouthfuls, he grew hostile, reminded again of a new dependence.

"I'm not hungry."

"You've barely eaten anything. You're body needs sustenance to repair itself."

"I can't eat if I'm not hungry."

"If you rather have the feeding tube back, I can arrange it."

"You can do anything you want to me, I don't seem to have much choice in the matter."

He caught her sigh and grew angry.

"Do you think I like being like this, totally dependent on you again? At least before, I could drag myself to the ATV and get away from you for awhile."

"If it's me that is bothering you, I can have Yale in to take care of you."

He swung his hand wildly, knocking things over, wincing at the pain.

"You just don't get it, do you? I don't want anyone taking care of me."

"Hello. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Bess Morgan announced herself before entering, her voice full of sweetness.

There was an awkward silence. Bess couldn't help but smile as she noticed Alonzo trying to cover himself. Obviously Julia hadn't told him that she and Yale had been involved with his care.

"Danziger has Morgan on guard duty tonight. We slept most of the day. I thought I might come up and give you a break. I'll be glad to sit with Alonzo if you want to get some sleep."

"I don't need anyone to sit with me."

"Of course you don't, but Julia will rest easier if she knows someone is here with you, to keep you company. Isn't that right, Julia? "

Julia smiled. "Thank you, Bess. I think I'm just realizing how tired I am."

Tired of me, no doubt, Alonzo thought. Now she's getting even by sticking me with Bess Martin all night. He heard the crinkle of heavy plastic as someone left.

Morgan's wife moved close to him. Her tone was soft yet confidential. "You know, I don't think many of us realize how hard Julia works. Why, since this all happened, she's barely moved from your side. She was so sick and yet she drove herself to the point of collapse trying to find a way to save you."

Alonzo slumped. "Are you trying to make me feel bad, Bess?"

"Now why would I be doing that, Alonzo? I'm sure you feel bad enough as it is already."

ooo

Across camp, Morgan shouldered the heavy Mag-Pro. He hated guard duty. His ears and nerves were too sensitive to all the strange noises of the night. He paced a distance from the perimeter alert's laser beams. No sense getting too close. The thing was dangerous. A noise in the darkness, beyond the cross beams, sent him stumbling backward, aiming wildly. A night bird hooted in a nearby tree. His heart raced as his breathing came in gasps. Morgan put his back against a large tree and slid down, trying to make himself as small as possible. It was going to be a long night.

Sometime, during the same long night, Julia woke to the sound of voices. Bess and Alonzo's muffled tones reached her. Alonzo seemed to be questioning Morgan's wife about something. Julia tried to listen but ended up drifting off. She woke with dawn's first light. Wrapping the blanket around her, she rose and hesitated outside Alonzo's room. All was quiet inside. She ducked in. Bess raised her finger to her lips in a silencing gesture. Alonzo was asleep.

Morgan's wife rose from the chair beside his bed and, taking the other woman's arm, led the doctor out. In a whispered voice, she said, "I hope our conversation didn't keep you awake last night. We tried to keep it low."

"No. I slept well. I'm surprised you got him to talk at all with the mood he was in. What did you talk about?"

""He was telling me about your theory on post traumatic stress, you know, how it might be responsible for his blindness."

Julia's eyebrows arched with surprise. Bess went on, "So I told him the same type of thing happened in the mine my father worked in. One of the miners was blinded by a black powder flash, only he wasn't really blind, he just thought he was. His sight came back in a few days after he accepted the doctor's word that there was really no damage to his eyes."

"Really?" Julia was surprised.

"No, not really. I made it up." Bess answered.

Aghast, Julia's mouth fell open. "Bess, you lied to him?"

"Well, it wasn't a bad lie, just a little white one. Julia, he has to believe it's possible. I don't think you were getting that across somehow. Anyway, he seemed to feel a lot better and went to sleep."

"Oh, no." Julia groaned. Trust was based on the truth. How could she look Alonzo in the face knowing he might base his hope of recovery on a lie.

"Julia, I have to go. I told Morgan I'd meet him for breakfast when he came off duty."

"Sure, go ahead." The damage is already done, Julia thought.

Seeing the doctor seemed worried, Bess patted her on the arm. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. I have a good feeling about this."

Bess noticed Julia gave her that funny, closed mouthed smile of hers. The one which looked more pained than happy. Well, there was no time to wonder about it now, Morgan was waiting.

Only after Bess left, did Julia sigh heavily and slump against the table.

Morgan sat with his back against a tree, snoring soundly, the Mag-Pro draped across his lap.

"Morgan!"

The bureaucrat jumped, banging his head against the timber's trunk. His wife heart-shaped face peered back at him.

"Good grief, Bess. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Just be thankful it was me who caught you sleeping, Morgan."

"I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes." He gave her a sidelong glance to see if she bought it.

"Un-huh!" She didn't.

"Well....guard duty is very draining. My nerves are frazzled. Noises seem more threatening in the dark. Have you ever noticed that, Bess?"

"Things that go bump in the night?"

"Exactly. I knew you'd understand. Last night was terrible. I kept hearing these sinister sounds just beyond the perimeter light."

Bess glanced anxiously in the direction he indicted. "Maybe you should have reported it."

"No, they just laugh at me. Tell me it's all in my head. I don't know, Bess, maybe it is. I'm just not cut out for this kind of work." he whined.

Magus strolled up to the husband and wife. "I'm here to replace you, Martin."

Morgan eagerly handed her the Mag-Pro and began to drag his wife away. "Thank you. Thank you."

She looked surprised. "You're welcome. What's the big hurry?"

"Morgan had a rough night. He heard some strange sounds in the dark, last night." Bess explained.

"Really? What kind of sounds?" Magus began scanning the bushes and trees suspiciously.

"If I knew what kinds of sounds they were, they wouldn't be strange would they?" Morgan grumbled.

"Oh. I guess not. Anyway, after you're done eating, Danziger wants you to start packing up. We're leaving first light tomorrow morning." She yelled after the retreating couple.

Danziger was on gear reminding Julia of the same thing. She agreed to pack up whatever she didn't need and leave it outside for Baines. The young technician would be responsible for loading it in the TransRover. Yale brought food up to the tent and inquired about the pilot.

Julia brought him up to date. "Alonzo's physical wounds are healing well enough. Travel will be rough for him but not impossible. I haven't come up with a reason that explains the blindness. His eyes are continuing to react to light and accommodation normally."

What about this idea of yours that it might be psychosomatic?"

"It only an idea, nothing that should carry any more weight than any of the other causes I suggested. I certainly don't want anyone suggesting that it's only a matter of a few days before it resolves itself as Bess did last night."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to cause a problem."

"I know. It's just that he doesn't need another set-back."

"If you'd like, I could talk to him later. Perhaps pull up some library files for questions he might have."

"That would be helpful. Thank you, Yale."

"I'll be back later. I have to go over Devon's maps with John to find the safest route away from here."

"Do you think there will be trouble?"

"I'm not sure but I think you have enough on your mind without worrying about this, too."

"You're right. I'm going to get back to work."

Yale left Julia and went in search of Danziger. He found the mechanic fine-tuning ZERO.

"I've been using his heat-sensitive ability to see in the dark. Trouble is he can only pick up one direction at a time. Still, it's better than nothing."

"John, I was just speaking with Julia about the possibility of trouble. If you think an attack is likely, perhaps she should be prepared to treat injuries."

"I have the camp on full alert, day and night. Guards, electronic surveillance, whatever we got. Nothing's happened. I keep having this feeling we're being watched, that they're looking for the weakness in our armor. If they are watching us, they'll see we're packing up. If they are going to try anything, it will have to be soon, they're running out of time. Tell Julia to be ready, just in case."

"What about our route? Do you want to go over the maps now?"

"Yea, I'm done here. ZERO, resume patrol around the Medical Tent."

"Yes, sir! My functions are at full operating capacity."

"Glad to hear it."

They watched the robot march off in the direction of Julia's tent before turning toward the difficult job of trying to make sense out of G889's topographical maps.

Meanwhile, Julia was having trouble with her own scientific data. Perhaps Alonzo was right, that medicine as she knew it had no relevance on this planet. She tried to imagine Dr. Vasquez's reaction to her use of maggots to eradicate infection. The picture was very unsettling. Julia strapped on her diaglove. It was time to update Alonzo's chart with new readings. The diagnostic tool was still a comforting old friend, one the doctor could rely on, in what was a strange and hostile world.

The pilot lay still.

The doctor knew he was awake, so she asked, "How are you feeling today?"

"Nothing's changed." He said, more sad than bitter.

"Alonzo, Bess told me a little of your conversation last night."

Julia wondered how to repair the damage and found herself at a loss on how to continue.

"I hope you don't think I believed that story of hers."

Julia was relieved yet distressed by his apparent cynicism. "I did." She answered simply. "Now, I have to do an extensive check to see how you're healing. We're leaving tomorrow. Danziger rigged something to keep you clean and comfortable in the TransRover but I want to dress those areas that still need protection."

"Is that why we've been here so long? Because of me?"

"Nothing that's happened has been because of you. Those men were the ones who set events in motion. They were waiting for someone to attack. Walman should have been their victim. Don't think he hasn't thought about how his luck turned into your misfortune."

"I don't want to be a burden to anyone."

"Stop it. I don't want to hear you talk like that. If this had happened to Bess, Danziger or Yale would you have thought of them as a burden?" Not waiting for his answer, she went on. "No, you'd be doing whatever you could to help them and feel good about it, just as they are. Each of them knows they could have easily been in your place."

Alonzo was quiet. She hoped he was thinking about what she said and not giving in to self pity. She began her examination, concentrating her efforts on making him fit for travel. Occasionally, the doctor studied the pilot's face trying to read his thoughts.

Despite his inactivity, his body retained its superb form, resembling some ancient Greek sculpture. The bruises and cuts on his face had faded but the pained expression remained, giving him the aura of a tragic hero.

Alonzo found himself on the brink of a deep depression, hopelessness was an open chasm before him. Julia seemed distant, remaining cold and clinical as she worked on him. The pilot wondered if everything had irrevocably changed between them since he felt no reaction to her closeness or her touch. Worst of all, he could not hide his lack of feeling from her.

In the camp, tension mounted with the waning day. The flurry of activity, packing and securing the area for the night became increasingly frantic as time slipped away and so much more needed to be done.

Julia let Yale take over as she went to examine Danziger's contraption. She was impressed by his creativity. The man certainly had a gift with machinery, able to transform metal into a protective capsule for her patient that swayed and moved with the vehicle while absorbing the shock of the rough road.

"What do you think?" The mechanic was worried. There was not a lot of time to make corrections.

"It's fine." The doctor reassured him.

"Are you sure? I can change anything you don't like."

"No, that's not necessary. It will serve the purpose. It's much more than I expected."

"That's a relief."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get out here and examine it."

"It's all right. How's Alonzo doing?" He felt awkward with her, knowing what her feelings were for the pilot.

"He's healing well considering everything."

Danziger pressed her. "How's he dealing with being blind?"

"He's withdrawn, depressed but that's to be expected. He'll learn to deal with it in time. At least, I'm hoping he will." She looked him in the eye then, having laid her cards on the table.

Danziger dropped his eyes. He didn't think that sounded too good. He wished people were as easy to repair as machines. In a way, Julia and he were in the same business, fixing what got broken along their way to New Pacifica. Only her job was much harder, machines didn't care one way or the other if you screwed up. He didn't envy the doctor a bit.

"You got anything left to pack?"

Julia looked at the remains of the camp from the height of the TransRover. Only her tent remained standing.

"The tent, two cots and the heavy metal crate I keep the medical supplies in. Where is everyone sleeping tonight?"

"Just about everyone will be on guard duty. I'm putting the kids in the front of the TransRover."

"You're that worried?"

"Let's just say I'd rather be safe than sorry. Tomorrow we can all pitch in and make short work of packing your tent. I figured one more good night in a soft bed wouldn't hurt 'Lonz any."

"I appreciate that." She jumped down and started back.

"Julia!" Danziger called after her.

She turned shielding her eyes against a setting sun-glare and looked up. His imposing form blocked the fiery orb and framed him in sunlight.

"Stay alert for trouble tonight."

"Sure."

The doctor stopped at the table where a hurried dinner was prepared. She picked up meals for Yale, Alonzo and herself. She entered the tent and found Yale sitting on her cot. He greeted her by raising his eyebrows and shrugging. Obviously his attempt to help the pilot hadn't gone well and he decided this was the best way of communicating it to Julia so Alonzo wouldn't overhear. She continued the facade.

"I brought us all back dinner." She handed Yale a plate.

"Thank you but I still have a few things to go over with Danziger. If you don't mind, I'll leave you two to enjoy yours."

"Okay. Thanks for staying with him Yale. I'll see you later."

She took dinner to her patient.

"Are you ready for something to eat.? I'm afraid it's just some quick porridge tonight."

"That's fine. Just hand me the bowl."

Julia was taken aback. She had intended to feed it to him. "It's hot. I'm afraid you might spill some on yourself."

"I'll be careful. I don't need to be spoonfed like an infant."

She handed it over carefully, trying to guide it into his hands. The pilot jerked his hand as he unwittingly stuck a finger into the steaming mush. Julia tried to take it back, only to have him try to pull it away from her. They engaged in a silent tug of war for a few seconds. Finally, Julia gave up rather than cause an accident.

Alonzo hugged the bowl to his chest. Julia stared at him waiting to see if he could manage.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me all night?"

"How do you know I'm staring at you?"

"I know you. I know you have other things to do. Do them and let me learn to do this in peace."

He was right. Eating was something he would have to learn to adjust to.

"All right." She conceded. "I'm going to hand you the spoon, then I'll leave you alone." She reached out and took his right hand, pressing the utensil into his palm. "If you need anything, just yell. I'll be in the next room."

He waited for the sound of her leaving not seeing the sadness on her face as she threw a parting glance over her shoulder. While he fumbled with his meal in one room, she pushed hers aside in the other.

--end Part 11--


	12. Chapter 12

Evening brought fog, which grew denser with the aging night. Danziger cursed, he would have preferred bright moonlight. Still the electronic sensors would didn't know the difference. It just made things more uncomfortable for the guards.

Morgan was cursing, too. Danziger balked at allowing Bess to keep him company. She might distract him, the mechanic said. Everything distracted him when his wife wasn't there to help him stay focused. Didn't they know that by now? So, while Bess went off to keep Julia company, he was stuck in a fog so dense you couldn't see a foot in front of you, forget anything else. Rather than walk into something and hurt himself, he sat down with his back against a tree. He could just about make out the blue perimeter light.

Julia was not in the mood for company. When Bess descended on her, she buried herself straightening out the medicine locker, piling jars and containers on the surface of the locker. Bess talked away as she sat on the cot and darned some of Morgan clothes.

"Do you have anything you want sewn?"

Julia quickly found something. While she preferred to do her own repairs, it kept Bess busy so she didn't notice that Julia was tuning out most of what she said.

Across camp, a few hours after dark, Morgan heard the sound of movement beyond the sensors beams. His pulse jump-started into overdrive. The fog seemed to carry the sound of something big coming toward him, crushing ground debris underfoot. He swung the Mag-Pro toward the noise, turning it while praying silently, "Go away, please, just go away."

ZERO's warning began to blare. "ALERT! BI-PEDS APPROACHING. ALERT!"

Danziger's voice cut through the fog. "ZERO, what direction?"

"Northeast, 22 degrees...traveling approximately a half meter per second."

Northeast! That was his direction. Morgan's knees grew weak. He braced himself against the tree's solid backing. Something slammed into the wood close to his face, showering his face with splinters. He rolled his eyes sideways, afraid to see what it was. A metal arrow quivered, its tip buried in the trunk, inches from his head.

"We're under attack!!! Look Out!" Morgan aimed the weapon at any sound, swinging it in all directions. His finger nervously jerked on the trigger sending a wild blast from the Mag-Pro. Something exploded close by. Sparks rained down, setting small fires in the brush.

"Bombs! They've got bombs!" Still screaming, Morgan spun around, not sure where to run. He heard footsteps and a voice behind him. Someone jumped at him in the dark. He tried to bring the gun up, only to be tackled. Hurled backwards, he hit the ground hard. The wind was knocked from his lungs, then someone ripped the weapon from his hand.

Bess heard her husband scream. In a flash, she was up and past Julia before the doctor could restrain her.

"MORGAN!" She cried, running into the darkness.

"Bess, wait!" Julia ran after her. Alone in the fog, Morgan's wife might be mistaken for an intruder. Julia ran blindly, soon realizing that pursuit was futile. Bess had vanished from sight. All around her there were confused shouts, people running about. Julia looked back toward the medical tent. It was almost swallowed from view by the heavy mist. She couldn't leave Alonzo. Without knowing where Bess was, she could be of no help. She turned and hurried back.

Alonzo jumped at the sounds of firing in the distance. He heard Bess scream her husband's name, followed by Julia's voice calling after her. Both voices fading. An explosion rocked the air. What was going on? He was alone, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

The pilot sat up. Slowly, he swung his legs around, feeling the pull of tape. His body protested, dizziness slowed him down. He waited for it to pass before he dropped to a heavy plastic floor. Mentally getting his bearings, he began to feel his way toward the direction he believed to be the exit.

The ground ended at the tent wall. The pilot felt his way until he came across the flap that divided the sections. As he began to move it, he was hit by the smell of an unwashed body. When his mind placed the odor, Alonzo was paralyzed with fear. The convict had come back for him, determined to finish what he had started. He froze, sure his pounding heart would give him away, the sound of rummaging and the tinkling of glass was only a few feet way. Alonzo bent his ear to the tarp following the stranger's movement. His pulse began to race at the sound of Julia's voice. It held a mixture of fear and outrage.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

The doctor had ducked into the tent and found a stranger stuffing her precious supplies into his pockets. The convict turned swiftly taking her measure, looking for a weapon that could back up her bravado. Seeing none, he continued to stuff his pockets.

It took all of the doctor's will power not to glance toward the room which held Alonzo. She had only been gone a few minutes and prayed there had not been enough time for this man to find the injured pilot. Drawing his line of vision away from the other room, she moved deeper into the tent and away from the entrance.

"Some of that medicine can be lethal." She warned.

He watched her warily. "Medicine, huh? What are you a nurse or something?"

"I'm a doctor. Tell me what you're after and perhaps I can help you."

"I'm after it all so you can help me by telling what else you have around here worth taking. What's this?" He picked up her diaglove. Seeing the alarm on her face, he figured he held something valuable.

"It's a diagnostic tool, nothing you can use."

He pulled it away as she grabbed for it. "Do you know how to use it?"

"Of course I do." There were sounds of shouts and fighting in the distance, infecting them both with a feeling of urgency. "Look it's only a matter of time until someone comes to check on me. Take the medicine if you want but leave me the glove. I need it for my patients. It's worthless to you."

"Let me be the judge of that." He stuffed it in the waistband of his pants. "Maybe, I'll take you with me so you can show me how to use it."

Alonzo had heard enough. His voice startled them from behind the heavy tarp. "Julia, get out! Run!"

The convict made a move toward the other room only to have Julia block his path.

He grabbed the doctor roughly by her arm and twisted it behind her back. His other arm caught her around the throat so he could use her body to shield his. "If you don't want this woman harmed, you'll come out with your hands raised. "No weapons, no tricks."

Alonzo tried to get up. The pain was unbearable as he placed weight on his feet. He fell to the ground, groaning.

Hearing him fall, Julia began to struggle. "Please! Leave him alone. He's hurt and no threat to you."

"We'll see about that!" He pushed her in front of him, toward the entrance.

Desperate, the doctor tried a bluff. "Don't open that flap. He's got a virus. It's highly contagious."

Uncertain fear caused him to hesitate. "You wouldn't be lying to me would you?"

"Why do you think the tent has been encased in heavy plastic? I'm trying to keep it from spreading to the others."

"What about you? How come you're not sick?"

"I use a gown when I need to go near him. It's over there."

The thief glanced in the direction the doctor indicated and saw the hooded outfit hanging on a hook.

He pulled her along and checked it out. "Maybe you are telling me the truth." He raised his voice for Alonzo to hear. "Okay, you can stay in there for now. Just don't try anything funny or this woman dies." His arm tightened on Julia throat. His lips move to her ear. "Now, if you don't want you boyfriend hurt, you'll tell me what else you have of value?'

"You have it all. That's the truth." She winced as he twisted her arm again before tossing her away. The convict reached for a bottle of clear liquid on the table and flipped the top open. "Know what this is, Doc?'"

Julia rubbed her arm and glanced at the label. "Alcohol. It's for external use only. That means you shouldn't drink it." She added.

"I already tried. It's a little too strong, even for my taste." He tossed the contents about soaking the cot and the walls.

"What are you doing?" Her tone reflected a growing fear.

"Where I come from, we have a cure for contagion." He pulled something from his pocket and stuck it with one hand. "We burn it." He flicked the spark.

There was a flash of exploding vapor, then the fabric went up in flames.

"We'll see if he's too sick to save himself. Meanwhile, you're coming with me."

"NOOOO!!!" Julia pulled away from the convict when he reached for her, drawing him off balance. The doctor used the only weapon available, she swung her fist, putting her full weight behind it.

The punch connected solidly to his jaw. The impact knocked the crook off his feet, while breaking bones in her hand. The resulting pain doubled her over and brought tears. She stumbled, turning, wiping them with her arm, trying to clear her vision. Julia's only thought was to get the pilot to safety.

"Alonzo!!"

A callused hand gripped her ankle, pulling her down, as the acrid chemical smoke from disintegrating plastic filled the tent. Together, the man and woman engaged in deadly combat, rolling across spreading ribbons of fire.

Julia fought desperately knowing both her and Alonzo's life rode on the outcome. Unfortunately, she was fighting a losing battle as the penal colonist was both stronger and heavier than the petite doctor. The end of the battle came swiftly when he slammed her head against the heavy metal chest. A small groan escaped the woman's lips and the convict felt her suddenly go limp under him. He waited, suspecting a trick until he saw blood trickling from her hairline.

The fire had taken on a life of its own. Spreading flames flared. Pieces of liquid fire fell from the ceiling and began to eat at his clothing as he straddled the unconscious woman. He had to get out and began to pull the woman with him but then thought better of it. Tossing her aside, he stumbled to his feet and fought his way through the blaze before fleeing into the night. Much of the stolen treasure had spilled from his pockets and was left behind.

A few feet away, Alonzo crawled about choking, unable to find his way clear of the poisonous fumes. He heard the fight between Julia and the convict raging in the other room. Julia needed him and he couldn't come to her aid. Suddenly, the noise ceased. There was only the crackle of fire.

Desperate, his groping hand swung wildly until it pushed into emptiness. He stumbled into an inferno. "Julia! Where are you? Answer me!"

His hand swept the space around him, whimpering as the blaze licked his fingers. Material was being consumed all around him yet it wasn't dying he feared. The worse horror would be allowing Julia to share his fate.

"Julia, please.." He sobbed, hopelessly frustrated. He knew she wouldn't leave him unless the convict had taken her with him. The pilot prayed for a miracle, but the gods left him in darkness. Continuing to feel his way, Alonzo dodged through intense heat until he brushed something solid. His hands explored and found the familiar contours of Julia's body. "Julia? Come on, we have to get out."

The air was getting difficult to breathe, the heat unbearable. He tugged at her, trying to rouse her. His palm traced her features, feeling her breath against his skin. Why wasn't she responding? Probing fingers brushed back the hair on her forehead and touched something sticky. He raising them to his lips, he tasted blood. Despair engulfed the pilot. Julia was still alive but he needed her eyes to find the way out. With her unconscious, he had little chance of saving her. Alonzo pulled her against his chest, tucking the doctor's arms and legs beneath his body to shield her from incineration.

With fading strength, the pilot began to crawl, dragging his lover with him. The smell of singed hair and clothing filled his nostrils. He was lost and almost out of time. Coughing violently, he lunged forward, slamming his head on a hard surface.

"Sir, I would advise you to leave the area. It is no longer safe to remain."

Alonzo thought he was dreaming, only he didn't dream. The pain from impact subsided and he looked up. Through the smoke and haze, ZERO's dome lowered until it was just inches from his face.

He blinked, though his vision was cloudy and out of focus, he could see a shape. "ZERO? I think I can see you."

"And I can see you, sir."

"Help me." The pilot pleaded.

The robot reached down and offered support.

"No! Leave me. Take her."

He offered Julia into the robot's arms. The effort cost him and he fell back to the ground. ZERO bent and embraced them both. With a mechanical jerk, the robot lifted the victims into an awkward angle. Maintaining his hold, he turned and marched through the flames unmindful of his burden.

ooo

Danziger and Baines raced across camp to back up Morgan's position. The blast of the Mag-Pro and following explosion of blue light had them scrambling through a rain of hot shrapnel.

"Shanking idiot blew away my perimeter alert." Baines cursed.

Danziger hurled himself forward, leveling the bureaucrat as he wildly swung his weapon in the direction of the technician's voice. Morgan lay sprawled, gasping for the air the big mechanic knocked from his body.

The camp was in chaos as invaders clashed with the colonists. The penal colonists' plans were also in disarray. It had been meant as nothing more than a simple harassment effort. A few arrows lobed over the laser defense in the hope that someone would drop the barrier and pursue the antagonists. Strategically placed members of their band would then slip in and steal what they could before their ruse was discovered.

They hadn't expected the pandemonium that followed one well placed arrow and the resulting disintegration of the security system by the colonists' own guard. Scarcely believing their luck and overcome by greed, they tore through the campground, grabbing anything not nailed down.

Danziger shook his hand as another raider bit the dust under his well placed fist. He yelled to the other members of his group, shouting encouragement while trying to reorganize them. Fearing to fire the weapon because of limited visibility, he used it as a club, splitting a few heads instead. Anger over the turn of events had him looking like a crazed, hulking, madman, so most simply fled the sight of him. This included Morgan, who was trying to work his way back to Bess. He had found a safe haven under the TransRover until his wife's frantic calls brought him scurrying out.

"Oh my God Morgan, I was so afraid you were hurt." She wrapped her arms around him in relief.

"Bess, what are you doing running around in the open? We're being overrun by murderers and rapists."

"I had to find you, to make sure you were safe." She hugged him fiercely while Morgan looked nervously about. The sound of fighting had died down to almost nothing.

Baffled by his lack of response, she pulled back to study his face. "Morgan, what is it? Why are you unarmed? Where's the Mag-Pro?"

He fidgeted with a torn fingernail, unable to meet her eyes. "I kind of dropped it after the accident."

"What accident? Morgan what happened?" She was suddenly afraid he might have mistakenly shot a member of their team.

"An arrow came within a gazillionth of a second of pinning my brains to a tree, is what."

"Oh my God!" She took his face in her hands, searching for injuries. "Morgan, honey, it's all right, you're safe now."

"I'm not so sure about that." He thought how Baines and Danziger would surely kill him if the penal colonists didn't.

"What are you talking about?"

"I...ahh...kind of accidentally blew that perimeter thingy to smithereens."

"Well, you didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident. You were almost killed, Morgan. What's a stupid piece of metal compared to your life?"

"Yea." He suddenly felt better. "Yea, you're right!" Bess sure knew how to put things into the right perspective. He hugged her back.

Danziger heard someone running directly toward him. He gripped the weapon like a club ready to hit a homerun with some grubby thief's head. Walman came into view and stopped dead, the color draining from his face as he realized his close call. The big mechanic relaxed. It wasn't that close. Danziger always gave the invaders a few seconds to change their mind about leaving the way they came before he helped them out.

Out of breath, other man stammered. "Yale wants you to come quick. The medical tent's on fire."

John broke into a run with Walman following. "Julia and Alonzo? Are they all right?"

"I don't know." Ahead of them, there was a pulsating glow, as if the sky was burning.

Yale had been guarding the children, who were locked securely in the TransRover. The elderly man never left his charges, even when all hell broke out. He paced like a nervous cat, telling the children to stay down when they peered wide-eyed through the window glass. Occasionally someone from their group would run by but eventually, things began to quiet down. Bess had rushed up asking if Yale had seen her husband. The cyborg replied to the negative and was taken aback as Morgan crawled from beneath the truck to intercept his wife as she started to run off. The tutor was too far away to hear what they said.

It was the returning ZERO that alerted him to the fire. The robot picked up an unknown figure running from the medical facility. He sounded an alert, turning Bess, Morgan and Yale in the direction of tent. They stood in shock as hungry flames began to devour the tent.

"Bess, Morgan, stay with the children." Yale ran toward the fire and saw Walman at the edge of the fog. "Walman, find help." The other man turned and caught the unfolding scene. He was torn for a second, wanting to assist Yale and doing what he was told. He decided to find others to help douse the flames that were beyond the work of two men.

The heat from the blaze kept the cyborg from entering. He turned to the robot, who had followed him to the tent. "ZERO, can you detect any signs of life inside?"

"Two life-forms."

"Dear God, Julia and Alonzo. ZERO bring them out."

The robot never hesitated. He walked into the flames and moments later, walked out. Locked in his bulky metal arms were two bodies. The clothing of one and smoke streaked bandages of the other smoldered from the heat as small fires sought purchase.

"Hurry." At Yale's urging, ZERO took bigger steps. When they had reached a safe distance from the burning area, the cyborg ordered the robot. "Put them down." Yale grabbed Alonzo, who was on the outside, laying his limp form gently on the ground. Turning, the elderly man caught Julia and, whipping off his coat, snuffed out a few small flames on the doctor's clothing. Neither seemed to be breathing. Yale looked around frantically. What he needed was still inside. "ZERO, I need Julia's medical chest."

Part of the roof collapsed, sending a cloud of embers skyward. ZERO disappeared for a few seconds, then emerged. One arm carried the heavy chest as if it were light as a feather, in the other he held the doctor's diaglove.

Yale wrapped his hand in his coat and tried to open the latch.

"Allow me, sir. My functions include great manual dexterity."

The robot pulled the latch free, opening the chest. Yale tapped two portable oxygen containers. They were only warm to the touch. Turning the canisters on, he quickly covered the faces of his two friends and pumped oxygen into their lungs, praying he was not too late.

Danziger and Walman ran up and slid to their knees.

"Are they all right?'

"I don't know, John."

He reached for the diaglove. The plastic was soft from the heat. The functions sputtered, giving erratic readings.

"It's no good."

"Give me that." Danziger did a quick analysis. He banged it with his fist.

The reading stabilized. Just then, the pilot began coughing. Alonzo twisted, gasping for air.

"Easy there, pal. Walman, get some water."

The pilot opened his eyes, worried blue eyes studied his back.

"Where's Julia?" Alonzo's voice was hoarse from the smoke.

"She's right here. You're both safe."

"Where? Let me see her." the pilot demanded.

"See her? 'Lonz, you can see? You got your sight back?"

The pilot ignored him. He looked to Yale for reassurance. The cyborg was studying the sporadic read outs on the glove. Danziger propped the pilot up. Alonzo reached out and brushed Julia's singed hair. A clump lay matted with blood.

"Yale?"

"She'll be fine, Alonzo. You both are lucky to be alive. A few moments more and the news would not have been so good. We have our good friend, ZERO, to thank for your deliverance."

"Well, looks like all those oil and lubes paid off for a change." Danziger patted ZERO's soot covered dome."Come on, let's make sure we got rid of all our visitors. Walman, stay here with Yale. I'll be back as soon as the area's secure."

Bess, Morgan and the kids soon joined the group huddled by the dying fire. They did what they could to treat the injured couple. The heavy tape and ointment had protected the pilot for the most part. Alonzo thought a few new blisters and a dose of smoke inhalation wasn't a bad price to pay in exchange for their lives and the return of his sight. As order was restored and the scattered crewmen gathered in a tight circle, the pilot watched and worried over Julia.

When the young woman finally opened her eyes, it was to stare in blank confusion at the world around her. A bare-chested Alonzo had Yale's coat draped over his shoulders. A few bright white bandages stood in stark contrast to the majority of blackened tape that covered the rest of him. In the dim light, he seemed to be watching her, although she knew this wasn't possible.

"Hey Doc." He took her uninjured hand in his and pressed it to his chest while he watched her brain gathering and sorting pieces of puzzled memory. Prompting, he told her, "We had a close call. You must have put up quite a fight before I could reach you. Yale says your hand is broken."

The doctor tried to speak and began coughing. Walman stepped forward with water. Both men supported the injured woman until she caught her breath. The doctor turned to the pilot. Alonzo watched a storm of emotions cross her face as she reached out to touch his face.

"Julia, I can see again. Whatever it was, must have sorted itself out. Maybe it was PTS, or maybe slamming my head into ZERO's leg helped. I don't know or care. I just know that by some miracle we're alive and safe and that's all that really matters."

Tears welled and spilled from her pale blue eyes. He gathered her in his arms and despite the pain, they clung to each other. Death lingered in the shadows, reeking of smoke and blood.

"Shhh. Everything's going to be all right now." Alonzo stroked her hair, trying to still Julia's sobbing.

"No. It's my fault. I drove you away. This would never have happened..."

"Julia. It's not your fault."

"Please, I don't know how to explain, except that over the last few months I've grown so afraid of losing anyone, especially you."

"Julia--"

Her words tumbled over his protest. "With the syndrome children, it was different. I always knew there was no hope, that eventually they would die, no matter what we did. But here, my decisions could mean life or death for people I've grown to love. Alonzo, emotion was overwhelming my judgment and I tried to compensate with control."

"Julia, I'm not real proud of the way I acted either. I'm used to flying off when things get too intense. That might have worked in the past but it doesn't any more. Something's changed -- something in me. I was about to turn around when I was attacked. I don't remember much of what happened after that except everything fell apart. I woke up and found I couldn't deal with being a burden. I lost hope. Tonight, I realized there was something worse. I almost lost you too."

Julia felt a lump in her throat which caused a new round of coughing. Yale hurried over.

"I shouldn't have to remind you both those oxygen systems were given to you for a reason."

They slipped their masks back in place, feeling like disobedient children under the tutor's stern gaze. Alonzo caught Julia's eye and winked. The sparkle was back, stronger than ever. He still held her hand against his chest. She could feel his warm strength, the strong beat of his heart. Julia had no doubt there would be rough times ahead but for now she was content to let nature take its course.

The End.


End file.
